It Started With a Kiss
by MystiKoorime
Summary: A simple kiss is all it takes to change things between Hiei and Botan. Rated M for language. Cover art by the lovely Line Sagittarius.
1. Chapter 1

_It Started With a Kiss_

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Yusuke was getting tired of Botan's attempts to join them on missions. She could handle herself (to an extent), but after that disaster of a mission a week ago where they all had a few close calls, he didn't want to take the risk. The entire team – sans Hiei – had congregated in front of Genkai's temple and the could have been on their way already, if the fire-demon had the decency to show up on time.

Botan was trailing after him in an outfit similar to the one she had donned back when they were fighting the Saint Beasts, ranting and raving about how unfair Yusuke was being in his decision to leave her behind.

"…and you're conveniently forgetting that I used to join you on missions all the time!"

Yusuke turned around to face her.

"That's because Spirit World was short handed and the big bads weren't that serious back then." He paused to regard Kurama. "No offense."

"None taken," Kurama responded, pausing to nod at them before he continued surveying the plants he had fixed around the perimeter of Genkai's temple.

"I've got enough on my plate worrying about this lovesick idiot," Yusuke said, cocking his thumb towards Kuwabara, who was too busy fawning over Yukina near the temple veranda to notice much else. "I can't afford to look out for you, too."

"You won't have to look out me!" Botan countered determinedly. "I've got my metal bat and the spirit detective tools. I can take care of myself!"

"Considering I had to save you three times during our last battle, I think it's safe to say that your little tricks aren't enough anymore."

"Ugh!" she stomped the heel of her white boot on the grass in frustration. "You're not being fair at all!"

"Sorry, but I don't make the rules," he said, his tone bordering on apologetic as he put his plan into action. He didn't like tricking her, but there wasn't any other way. "This is a job for four people and unless we enact a mission transfer, there's nothing we can do."

"A mission transfer?" she repeated, her curiosity peaked.

"Yeah, a mission transfer. Aren't you supposed to be up to date on all the practices and protocols of the Spirit World?" he asked, raising a brow at her suspiciously.

"O-of course I know what it is, Yusuke, don't be silly," she lied as she waved him off dismissively.

"Then you know that the only way to you can join this mission is if you switch out with a member of the team," he stated.

"...Yes."

"And the only way to transfer the responsibility is with a kiss," Yusuke finished slyly.

Amethyst eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"What now?"

"Don't look at me like that, it's _your_ world that makes up all these stupid rules."

"Hey!" she countered defensively. "It's not exactly easy governing the souls of the dead while protecting those of the living. Maybe if you boys cooperated with us we wouldn't have to come up with something as puerile as a mission transfer to stop you all from skipping out on missions all the time!"

"So now you understand why you can't just barge in anymore. Pacifier breath made it clear that this was a four man team, and unless you're willing to follow the rules of a mission transfer, there's just nothing we can do about it."

Botan seemed to lose some of the fire of her argument and her brows furrowed as she silently weighed her options. Moments later, her gaze lifted and met his.

"All I have to do is kiss one of you to take your place?" she asked hesitantly.

"Not just anyone," Yusuke began. "Only one person has the chance to miss out on a mission. This time around, it's Mr. Short, Angry and Brooding himself."

"H-Hiei?" she stammered out nervously.

Yusuke confirmed with a nod of his head and Botan's expression fell hopelessly. There was no way she would go through with it; after all, it was common knowledge that Botan was still a little afraid of the fire-demon. She always avoided his gaze and rarely made contact if it was avoidable. Hell, she couldn't even stand directly beside him when they were together, so there was no way in hell that she would get close enough to actually lay one on him.

"Alright," she conceded with a nod.

"Glad we could settle this like adults," Yusuke smirked.

"If that's the only way," Botan resolved, as she extended her hand and summoned her oar.

Yusuke's smirk dropped immediately.

"What are you doing?" he asked as he took a step towards her.

"I'm going to kiss Hiei, obviously," she replied as she mounted her oar and hovered off of the ground. She regarded him with a grin and a quick wiggle of her fingers. "Toodles!"

"Wait!" he yelled as he reached a hand out to stop her, fingers barely brushing against the blade of her oar before she flew out of his reach completely. She was headed towards the direction of Hiei's favorite tree and Yusuke chased after her, cursing his shitty luck as he entered the forest.

She was going to get herself killed and it was going to be all his fault.

* * *

I hard originally planned for this to be a oneshot, but seeing as this document has been sitting on my computer for years, I figured it might be easier to upload it in smaller parts. The chapters will be very short and to the point and the entire story shouldn't take me too long to finish.

Anyway, hope you guys like the start! Let me know your thoughts~


	2. Chapter 2

Botan spotted Hiei settled into his favorite tree, far enough away from Genkai's temple to remain undetected, yet close enough for him to rush over if anything were to ever threaten Yukina's safety. The fire-demon was resting leisurely, eyes closed and expression neutral as sunlight and shadow played over his face. She Botan approached him slowly, feeling a bit more confident knowing that his sword sat at the base of the tree rather than in his hands.

Then again, Hiei didn't need his sword to harm her; he probably knew countless methods of inflicting pain and torture with his bare hands-

"If you're here to persuade me into helping the others, then you're wasting your time," Hiei declared suddenly, startling her out of her thoughts. "I already told the fox that I refuse to carry out another demeaning task for the Spirit World."

"It's quite the opposite, actually," Botan informed. "I'm here to take your place on today's mission. I simply need your approval for the mission transfer and then I'll be on my way."

Hiei examined her critically, crimson irises glowing against the backdrop of the shadowed dark forest. The intensity of his gaze was unnerving and Botan was tempted to turn around and forget this entire thing, when he finally spoke.

"You're a messenger woman with limited intelligence and a pitifully low level of spirit energy," the fire-demon stated. "If the last mission taught you anything, it's that there is no place for you on the battlefield."

"I'll have you know that I was the one who accompanied Yusuke on his very first missions and therefore am an original member of this team. Not only do I posses the ability to fly, to heal and to summon my very own weapon, but I've got the added advantage of having the spirit detective tools at my disposal. I can be a valuable asset if you boys stopped pushing me on the sidelines all the time!" she argued.

"Don't misunderstand me, woman," he warned. "I don't particularly care about your plight, I was only stating the facts. But if you insist on undermining the success of the mission with your trivial and insecure attempts to prove your worth, then I have no qualms about it. A loss for the Spirit World is a win for me."

"Excuse me?" she began indignantly.

"I'm giving you permission to take my place," Hiei clarified. The jagan glowed beneath his white bandana and the corner of his mouth extended into a taunting smirk. "I'll rather enjoy watching you fail to be of use."

Botan pursed her lips together to stop herself from falling into a petty argument that would ultimately lead nowhere. Hiei had already given her what she wanted: his consent. There was only one thing left to do now and the fact that it would probably be doubly as unpleasant for Hiei as it would be for her only spurred her on.

"Does this mean you're willing to proceed with the mission transfer?" she inquired, folding her arms over her chest as she awaited his response.

He muttered something derogatory under his breath about the Spirit World and its endless regulations before leaning back against the tree and closing his eyes once more.

"Do what you must. You should know by now that I don't care," he answered.

And that was all the invitation she needed. There was no time for hesitation, so she screwed her eyes shut and leaned forward. The moment her lips grazed against his, an unfamiliar, yet pleasant, rush coursed through her entire body. It almost felt like the soothing effects of her white magic and she wondered if Hiei was experiencing it, too. The fire-demon, who had tensed up considerably, quickly regained his senses and pulled back with an angered glare.

"What the fuck was that, woman?" he seethed.

"A mission transfer?" she replied, wondering if she had somehow done it wrong.

"What the fuck is that?"

"It's the new procedure for rotating members," she explained nervously. "Koenma explained it during our last team meeting, didn't he?"

"The toddler mentioned no such thing," Hiei countered darkly.

"What?" she breathed out.

"The prince discussed many disagreeable things at that meeting, but this so called "mission transfer" was not one of them," Hiei reiterated.

"You-you mean to tell me that you boys don't really have something called a mission transfer?" she asked weakly. Dread pooled in the pit of her stomach as she considered what she had just done. "And you don't actually transfer responsibility for the mission through mouth to mouth contact?"

"Think of how ridiculous that sounds and answer that question for yourself, ferry-girl," he sneered, voice laced in disdain.

Botan let out a horrified gasp.

"I just wasted my first and quite possibly only kiss on you!" she moaned.

Hiei's glare intensified and she immediately recanted her words.

"N-not that it wasn't a nice kiss," she amended hurriedly. "In fact it was unexpectedly pleasant! You have very warm and inviting lips for such a cold and uninviting man."

Hiei let out a feral growl as the intensity of his demon energy warmed the air around them.

"Please don't hurt me, Hiei," she begged, raising her hands in a defensive gesture. "None of this would have happened if Yusuke hadn't tricked me!"

"I should have known the detective had a hand in this," he said, diverting his gaze and his anger towards the direction of the temple.

She nodded quickly, ponytail bouncing as she did so.

"Yes, he told me all about the apparently fake mission transfer and said that you were the only one I could switch with."

"I'll kill him," Hiei proclaimed through clenched teeth, before crimson eyes snapped back to her meet hers pointedly. "After I dispose of you."

Botan's eyes widened in fear and she let out a shriek as Hiei lunged towards her. She just barely managed to grip the handle of her oar and swerve out of his path before he could enact his revenge and she jumped as she rose higher in the sky. Sparing the simmering fire-demon one last glance, she soared off above the clouds at full speed.

The warmth of the sun and the comfortingly cool touch of the wind against her skin did little to calm her racing heart as she journeyed back towards the Spirit World. Bringing a hand to her lips, she flushed in embarrassment as she wondered if it was normal to still feel the ghost of Hiei's lips on hers.

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Thank you all for the positive feedback received so far! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.

(As a side note: I haven't forgotten about _Home_ , I'm just having trouble with some of the chapters, so I figured I might as well release some other H/B content in the meanwhile. I am working on it and will update as soon as I'm satisfied with it.)

Anyway, thanks a bunch, guys! Looking forward to hearing what you have to say, so drop a note in the review box below.


	3. Chapter 3

Yusuke barely managed to catch sight of Botan disappearing above the clouds before he brought his gaze back towards the forest and focused on the ominous energy signal that was rapidly approaching. While he was almost positive that Botan wasn't stupid enough to actually kiss Hiei, he was equally sure that she had played a hand in stirring up his current temperament.

He purposely placed himself in the path of the oncoming black blur, forcing Hiei to skid to a halt in front of him. The fire-demon was breathing heavily; shoulders rising and falling with each and every angered breath that he took. His crimson eyes narrowed beneath dark, furrowed brows, but Yusuke wasn't intimidated.

"Where's the fire?" he simply asked cheekily.

"Get out of my way, detective," Hiei warned, fist gripped tightly around the hilt of his sword. "I have a ferry-girl to skewer."

"You talk a big game, but we all know that you're not skewering anyone," Yusuke determined, standing firm as he blocked the other man's path. "Besides, whatever she did couldn't have been that bad."

"I beg to differ," Hiei grumbled.

"Huh?"

"Don't pretend as though you aren't aware of what you caused," Hiei accused, pointing his sword in Yusuke's direction. "I had planned to dispose of you after I dealt with her, but I am willing to make an exception."

"I'm seriously not following you here…"

"The woman was desperate to prove her worth and believed your lies. She forced herself upon me in the most depraved of ways and then fled."

Yusuke's eyes rounded in surprise, mouth slightly ajar as he considered what Botan had just done.

"She actually did it?" he asked upon breaking out of his short-lived stupor. "She laid one on you?"

Hiei chose not to respond, but the uncharacteristic way that he lowered his sword and looked away was enough of a confirmation. Yusuke let out a low whistle and fixed Hiei with an impressed look.

"I didn't think she had it in her," he mused.

Apparently, Hiei did not share Yusuke's sentiments. His demon energy flared up dangerously, expression darkening once more as fury twisted his features into a scowl.

"I don't appreciate being on the receiving end of your juvenile tricks, detective," Hiei snarled.

"Hey, just take it easy!" Yusuke assuaged, hands raised in defense. "This is all just one big misunderstanding."

"You have ten seconds to explain yourself."

Yusuke took a deep breath.

"I might have given Botan the impression that if she kissed you, she could switch places with you and join on us on today's mission," he confessed. "But I only did it to discourage her. She wasn't actually supposed to go through with it."

"But she did and now that you have let her escape, you are the only one left to face the consequences of your lies," the fire-demon concluded.

"I really don't see what the big deal is," Yusuke commented. "You just got some long overdue action from a hot girl. You should be thanking me, not trying to kill me!"

Hiei growled as Yusuke continued.

"I mean… unless you play for the other team," he considered, rubbing a hand at his chin contemplatively. "Then I guess I could understand why you're so riled up."

"I don't have time for trivial games and I fail to see what my allegiance to the team has to do with anything," Hiei answered tightly.

The fire-demon's dismissive words only served to fuel Yusuke's curiosity. His crimson gaze had broken off and shifted away more than once during their conversation and his jaw was clenched and tight with tension as a result of the words that he refused to voice. The atmosphere turned awkward as Yusuke wondered if he had ventured into some uncharted territory. A normal person would have backed away from the topic entirely, but Yusuke wasn't normal by any stretch of the word, so he trudged onwards.

"…Are you batting for the other team?" Yusuke inquired. "Cause Kuwabara and I always had a feeling that you and Kurama might be... you know... _doin' the do_."

Hiei's brow knotted in confusion and Yusuke realized that Hiei had no idea what he was getting at.

"I'm asking if you're gay," he deadpanned.

A myriad of expressions passed over Hiei's features, shock and outrage being the most prominent, before he finally answered.

"No, you fool. I prefer women and women alone."

Yusuke let out a sigh of relief, before righting himself.

"Not that there'd be a problem with that," he stated. "You're free to do whatever you want, with whoever you want, _however_ and _wherever_ you want, if you catch my drift."

"Just shut up," Hiei demanded as he sheathed his sword and frowned.

"So… we cool, then?" Yusuke asked, casting a sideward glance in Hiei's direction.

"We are far from that, detective."

Yusuke's shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Oh, come on. It was just a harmless kiss."

Hiei averted his gaze as that strange look returned to his face. Although it was brief, Yusuke was able to classify it for what it really was: uncertainty. He straightened up, instantly sobering upon seeing his comrade's condition.

"Hey!" Kuwabara's gravelly voice interrupted. "Are we gonna get a move on or what?"

Hiei's gaze hardened once more.

"This conversation isn't over," he warned. "I trust you know what will happen if you breathe a word of this to anyone."

And then he was gone, leaving behind an utterly confused and somewhat concerned detective.

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Thank you all for the feedback! You're all too sweet!

The next chapter features another encounter between our favorite ferry-girl and fire-demon. Hope you're looking forward to it.


	4. Chapter 4

Two weeks had passed since Botan's encounter with Hiei and she was still sore over the fact that she had been so gullible and so eager to help the team that she believed Yusuke's obnoxious lie. It certainly wasn't one of her finer moments and if she was being completely honest about it, both Yusuke and Hiei had a point: she was not strong enough to keep up with the difficulty and danger of their missions as of late and attempting to do so would only cause more troubles for the boys. It was silly and foolish of her to compromise the success of the mission and she was determined not to let her desires outrank her judgment again.

Aside from all of that, she felt horrible for kissing Hiei against his will like that. She would have apologized sooner, but she was afraid that he would finish what he had attempted to start two weeks ago if she approached him when they were alone. She felt a bit safer and braver knowing that they were all convened at Genkai's and the others were just a call away. Besides, she doubted Hiei would try to kill her while they were in Yukina's presence.

As she walked through the empty halls in search of the reclusive fire-demon, she brought her fingertips to her lips. Her mind wandered towards the memory of their kiss more times than she cared to admit and she could recall each and every detail with startling clarity. The warmth of his lips, the heat of his body and his distinct scent were all etched into her memory. The foreign and electric feeling that had engulfed her from such a brief and fleeting touch made her cheeks flush with color. It was unlike anything she had ever experienced before and, try as she might, she still could not get it out of her head.

She hoped that once she apologized, they could put this whole situation to rest and things could return to normal. A little closure was just what she needed to move on from and forget about the moment that should never have come to pass.

She was just beginning to think that Hiei might have already left, when she finally found him out on the veranda. He stood in a shadowed corner where the sunlight could not reach him, arms crossed over his chest as he looked out towards the gardens.

"There you are, Hiei!" she announced cheerfully. "Just the person I wanted to see!"

"Be quiet, woman."

His gaze was fixed to a point that she could not quite see from her vantage point, so she joined him in the shadows and tilted her head curiously. Upon following his line of sight, she found Kuwabara and Yukina standing near the koi pond.

"I don't think Yukina would appreciate it if she knew you were spying on her like this…" Botan cautioned, moving a hand to cover her mouth as she peered at the couple unabashedly.

"I don't care what you think," Hiei retorted. "And if you know what's good for you, you will stay far, far away from me. I still haven't forgotten what you did the last time we were alone."

Botan's attention snapped back to Hiei as she remembered what she had originally set out to do.

"Well, you see, that's exactly what I came out here to talk to you about…" she began, wringing her hands together nervously.

"Save it. I have no intentions of listening to you ramble on."

"But Hiei-"

His expression darkened with anger, but it was not directed at her this time. She glanced towards the garden and saw that Kuwabara had proceeded to take Yukina's small hand within his, his expression more serious and sincere than it had been moments ago. Then he pressed his lips to her hand in one of the sweetest, most innocent gestures Botan had ever seen.

She would have let out a dreamy sigh, had it not been for the way Hiei bristled beside her. The intense heat of his aura warmed her skin as he fought to control his demonic energy from erupting. The very same bloodlust that threatened to consume her two weeks ago was now focused and aimed at the lovesick psychic and Botan knew that she had to do something to stop Hiei from making a huge mistake.

"Now, let's not be hasty and impulsive," she soothed, hands raised pacifyingly as she stood directly in front of the simmering fire demon.

"Move aside, ferry-girl," he ordered, crimson eyes narrowed into a sharp glare.

"I can't do that," she objected, shaking her head. "Not until you promise me that you won't hurt him."

"His death will be swift and sure. I assure you that he won't feel a thing."

"But he's your friend! How can you even think of harming him?" she questioned. "Besides, you know what the sentence is for killing a human!"

"That fool means nothing to me and the satisfaction I will feel upon taking his life far outweighs any punishment the Spirit World can impose on me," Hiei reasoned as he brushed past her.

Botan bit her bottom lip worriedly, amethyst eyes darting between the seething fire-demon and the unsuspecting human. There wasn't much time to deliberate, so she determined to do the only thing she could think of at the moment.

"Hiei, wait!"

By some miraculous turn of events, the fire-demon actually paused to look back at her. She knew that she could not afford to hesitate, so she placed her hands on either side of his face and sealed her mouth over his. All of the tension and anger drained out of him as his body stilled against her. She knew that he would be furious with her once his initial shock wore off, but that was exactly what she wanted. Hiei would forget all about Kuwabara's transgressions in lieu of charging after her and she would simply retreat to the Spirit World and stay there indefinitely.

Botan barely pulled away when Hiei's hand wove through her hair, loosening her ponytail as he guided her back to him and brought their mouths together once again. Her eyes fluttered opened in surprise, pulse quickening in a mixture of fear, excitement and anticipation. A low rumble in his chest was all the warning she received before his lips began to move hungrily against her own. Warmth spread outwards in waves and Botan found herself melting into the heat of the exchange as Hiei took full control. He set the pace and his lips moved against hers with a singular, driven purpose. She let out a contented murmur as his fingers ghosted against the nape of her neck and he continued to kiss her relentlessly.

"Did you hear something, Kazuma?"

Yukina's inquiry pulled her out of her stupor and then all of those wonderful sensations were gone. Botan opened her eyes and blinked when she realized that Hiei had vanished.

"Botan, what are you doing out here?" Kuwabara asked as he approached her with the ice-maiden in tow.

"I lost my favorite red hair tie," she lied. "I thought it might be around here somewhere."

"You mean the one in your hair right now?" Yukina questioned, pointing a finger at her.

"Oh, silly me, that's where it was!" she laughed sheepishly, as she reached a hand up to tighten her disheveled ponytail and comb her fingers through her bangs. Kuwabara and Yukina were still staring at her suspiciously, so she straightened her kimono and then regarded them with a forced grin. "Well, now that I've found what I was looking for, I suppose I'll just be on my way…"

The ferry-girl walked away from them in a daze, emotions strung high and body reeling from what had just happened. She thought the magic of her first kiss was just that: only made special by the unfamiliarity of something new and foreign. But her second kiss fiery and passionate and somehow even better than the first. It threatened to sweep her away entirely and even now she felt as though she was walking on air.

Everything about her current predicament was wrong.

And yet, she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like if she kissed him a third time.

* * *

Thank you all so much for the reviews! I love reading each and every one of them! :)

Next time, Hiei corners Botan for a change. Hope you're all looking forward to it!


	5. Chapter 5

Botan ignored the chaos and hubbub of the Spirit World as she walked through the halls, entering the comfort of her room with a deep and heavy sigh. The flight back home had given her the time and the solitude she needed to collect her thoughts and make sense of everything that had happened and now that her euphoric high had subsided, she was left with nothing but the bitter taste of fear and regret.

Kissing Hiei once was a grave mistake; kissing him twice was an assured death sentence. Aside from the worries swirling around in her mind, she was extremely lucky to have escaped his wrath relatively unscathed. As she examined herself in the mirror, she couldn't help but notice just how much of an affect the fire-demon had on her. Her pupils were still dilated with an emotion she did not want to acknowledge, cheeks heated and flushed with color and lips reddened from the attention Hiei had given them. She undid her messy ponytail in an attempt to fix the one thing about her appearance that she could manage to, but was promptly reminded of the way Hiei's fingers ran through her hair and the gentle, yet firm way he had touched her.

She expelled the thought immediately, turning away from the mirror and deciding to leave her hair down for the time being. She needed a distraction - something to take her mind off of recent events - and she certainly wouldn't find that within the confines of her bedroom. She had made it as far as her door, when a dark voice interrupted her.

"We need to talk."

The ferry-girl's blood ran cold as she turned around to see Hiei standing at the center of her room. The double doors leading to her balcony were wide open, the lock broken beyond repair as the curtains billowed in the wind. Lord Koenma was going to be furious with her – he always threw a fit whenever there were any signs of property damage – but she supposed that it didn't matter if Hiei was going to kill her anyway.

"…What brings you here, Hiei?" she asked, trying to buy herself some time.

Although his expression was stoic and devoid of emotion, there was something different about him; a foreign quality to his crimson gaze that wasn't there before.

"I want you to explain yourself, woman," he demanded simply as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"What?"

"I want you to tell me why you keep doing _that_ with me."

Botan's lips parted soundlessly, her mouth running dry as words failed her. She thought Hiei had come to torture or maim her – but he stood in front of her with that peculiar expression, demanding that she explain herself.

"Quickly, ferry-girl, while I still have the patience and the will to listen," he commanded.

Botan's gaze dithered in embarrassment as she recalled the events that had taken place. She supposed she did owe him an explanation, so she tried to be as rational and as calm as she could about it. Perhaps she could reason with him and then they could put this whole fiasco behind them.

"The first time was an honest mistake," she recalled. "I was desperate to believe Yusuke's claims because I wanted to join you boys on a mission and prove how useful I could be."

"That doesn't explain why you forced yourself on me today," Hiei pressed.

"I had to stop you from harming Kuwabara by any means necessary," she answered dutifully. "I certainly can't overpower you, so distracting you was the only option left."

Crimson eyes narrowed in disbelief.

"You're not being completely honest," he stated.

"I am!" Botan defended. "I didn't want you to hurt Kuwabara, I didn't want poor Yukina to see the two of you fighting and I didn't want you to get into any more trouble with the Spirit World. I'm telling you the truth."

"You aren't," he replied knowingly as the jagan glowed beneath this white bandana. "And one way or another, I will get the answers I seek."

"That isn't fair, Hiei!" she protested. "You can't go around using the jagan on other people's minds without their consent!"

"And you shouldn't go around kissing people without their consent, either," he countered.

Botan winced guiltily. He had a valid point there and perhaps she owed it to him to tell him the truth. Besides, she would much rather tell it to him herself than to have him messing around in her mind.

"Just remember that you were the one who insisted to know the entire truth, so you can't get mad at me if you don't like what I'm about to say," she warned.

Hiei shoved his hands in his pockets, brows furrowing impatiently as he waited for her to continue.

"While it's true that I was trying to protect Kuwabara, spare Yukina and stop you from making a huge mistake, the way I went about it was spurred on by my own selfish desires," she confessed. "You see, I simply couldn't get our first kiss out of my mind; it just kept playing on repeat in a cruel and endless loop at the most inopportune of times. I suppose a small part of me wanted to try it again and when the opportunity arose, I took it."

She expected to see his expression sharpen with contempt and disgust, but a contemplative look flashed over his features instead.

"Hn, so you kiss me when it suits you, regardless of the consequences and regardless of whether or not I want it," he concluded.

Botan wanted to deny it with every fiber of her being, but he was right. She did kiss him without considering how he might feel about it and she didn't stop to think about what the consequences would bring for the two of them. She lowered her gaze ashamedly, unwilling to confirm or deny his claim.

"How would you like it if I did the same to you, woman?" Hiei questioned, breaking the silence that enveloped them.

"What?" she asked, gaze snapping up to meet his again.

"How would you like it if I used you to fulfill something as fleeting and foolish as a whim?" he clarified.

Botan gulped as he took a step towards her.

"Hiei… please," she tried, backpedaling until she was against the wall. She swallowed nervously, heart pounding in her chest as Hiei cornered her. "You don't want to do this."

"You're right, I don't," he agreed. "And if you know what's good for you, you'll stop coming around and making me think that I do."

And then he vanished from her sight, leaving her with nothing but those perplexing words.

* * *

Botan, Quit Playin' Games With Hiei's Heart!

Thanks for all of the reviews so far. You have no idea how much I appreciate them. You guys are the best!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!


	6. Chapter 6

A few days later Botan found Hiei in the forest beyond Genkai's temple. He was tucked away on a thick branch of one of the larger trees, arms folded loosely over his chest and eyes closed as he rested against the tree trunk. It was warmer today and so he had discarded his cloak and scarf, dressed only in his signature black pants, black boots and sleeveless blue shirt. He showed no signs of having sensed her presence and she briefly considered turning around and returning home without completing Hiei's monthly evaluation, but she knew that she could not afford to do such a thing. Koenma was still angry over the whole property damage issue and, even though an ogre had kindly replaced her broken lock, the Prince couldn't seem to let it go. She supposed some of his irritability accounted to the fact that she refused to tell him exactly what had happened, but she was afraid of how he would react if he learned the entire truth. The last thing Botan wanted to do was give him any more reason to be upset at her, so she determined to complete her duties professionally and responsibly as she flew closer towards the fire-demon.

"Good afternoon Hiei," she chirped, putting on her most affable smile. "I'm here for your monthly evaluation."

Botan expected him to shoot her a dirty look and utter some sort of disparaging remark like he usually did whenever she showed up for these occasional visits, but his expression remained uncharacteristically impassive. Curiosity got the best of her as she studied the usually guarded fire-demon, taking in the sight of him in a way that she never had before. Amethyst eyes trailed over the angular slant of his eyes, the slope of his nose and the curve of his lips with a peculiar sort of fascination. When he wasn't scowling or glowering at her, he was actually quite handsome.

"What do you want this time, woman?" Hiei asked, opening his eyes and pinning her with an accusing look.

"Hiei!" she exclaimed as she jolted back in surprise. She was glad that the jagan wasn't activated because she was certain that he wouldn't appreciate the strange avenue her thoughts had turned to. "You startled me."

"And you were staring," he pointed out.

"I was only waiting for you to wake up from your catnap," she explained innocently.

"I wasn't sleeping," Hiei replied flatly. "I thought if I ignored you for long enough you would take the hint and leave. Apparently I gave you too much credit."

Botan's features pulled into a frown.

"You know that I can't leave until we've finished the evaluation," she reminded him as she pulled out her trusty notebook from the beneath her obi.

"Then do us both a favor and make it quick," he ordered.

"Alright," she agreed, flipping to one of the blank pages and clicking her pen. The sooner they got this over, the better. "What have you been up to in the past month?"

"Aside from being sexually harassed by a curious ferry-girl, nothing out of the ordinary," he answered sardonically.

Botan jotted his words down obediently until logic set in and she realized what he had said. She scratched it out furiously before slamming her book shut.

"I did not sexually harass you!" she defended, a blush spreading over cheeks and the tips of her ears.

Hiei shot her a withering look and Botan wilted a little, mouth drawn into a pout as she recalled their most recent encounters.

"Well, maybe that was the case the first time… and the second," she admitted. "But you definitely kissed me back after that."

Hiei's brows knotted, lips curling into a frown.

"I did no such thing."

"Yes, you did!"

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did!"

The two glared at each other heatedly, tension running high between them. Although Botan was the one who initiated their first two kisses, that final and third kiss was all on Hiei. The fact that he was so openly and blatantly denying it was a little more than offensive. What's more, he had forced her to admit something quite embarrassing and private the day he broke into her room and a little payback was in order.

"Your lips were moving, too, mister!" she accused. "And it wasn't just your lips. Your hands were, too!"

"You're being delusional," he scoffed.

"I'm not and I can prove it to you!"

Botan grabbed a fistful of Hiei's shirt, pulling him closer to her and sealing her lips over his for a third time.

* * *

"Hiei and Botan were what now?" Yusuke exclaimed, both brows lifted high in disbelief.

"It's like I told you, Urameshi, they were full on making out!" Kuwabara reported.

"Are you sure of what you saw?" Kurama probed.

"I know it sounds crazy, but I'm not making this up! I saw them in the forest on my way here!" Kuwabara argued. "And I bet if you go out there you can see it for yourselves. They're probably still all over each other!"

"I don't mean to doubt your credibility, I simply find it hard to believe that Hiei would kiss anyone, much less a woman from the world he detests," Kurama explained.

"I don't know, fox boy, attraction isn't exactly a logical thing," Yusuke pointed out. "I mean, if she's hot and he's horny, that's all it really takes."

Kurama shook his head.

"While that may hold true for others, a physical attraction is not enough of a justification for Hiei," Kurama countered.

Yusuke and Kuwabara exchanged curious glances, neither of them willing to comment on what Kurama had just revealed; it was moments like these that made them all wonder about the nature of Hiei and Kurama's relationship. The redhead must have noticed the change in their demeanors because he decided to expand upon his ambiguous statement.

"It's a demon custom," Kurama continued calmly. "Kissing is a gesture reserved only for the one you intend to have as a life partner."

"Are you saying that the shrimp wants to marry Botan?" Kuwabara questioned incredulously.

"I wouldn't go that far," Kurama reassured. "But it is bewildering that he would engage in such an act all of a sudden. A kiss means much more to a demon than a spirit or a human would realize."

Yusuke's eyes went wide, realization striking him like a lightning bolt as the pieces fell into place. Hiei's strange behavior the other day, the confused and uncertain way he had reacted to the kiss, was all because of some demon world culture _thing_.

"…Uh, guys?" Yusuke began sheepishly. "I think I might have had a hand in all of this."

"What do you mean, Urameshi?" Kuwabara asked.

Yusuke sighed.

"Botan was pestering me about joining us on missions, so I told her that the only way she could come along was if she kissed Hiei. I didn't think she'd do actually go through it... but she did. And apparently they've both been keeping it up."

"I see…" Kurama replied with a frown. "That is rather troubling."

"It doesn't have to be. If what Kuwabara says is true then it's mutual and they're both enjoying it plenty. That can't really be a bad thing, can it?" Yusuke reasoned hopefully.

"Botan doesn't understand the consequences of her actions, but Hiei surely does. The two are operating on very different assumptions and that could spell trouble for the both of them in the future," Kurama explained.

"Are you telling me that you think Hiei might have developed actual feelings for Botan?" Yusuke asked. "All because of one lousy kiss?"

Kurama stared back at Yusuke uncertainly, uttering the words that Yusuke never thought he would he would hear the assured fox utter.

"I don't know."

* * *

Special shout out to Line Sagittarius for the beautiful cover art. FFnet hardly does the image any justice, so check it out on her tumblr: umann.

And last but not least: thanks to all of you amazing readers who have been following and reviewing.

Next chapter, we finally get a look inside our favorite fire-demon's head. Hope you're looking forward to it!


	7. Chapter 7

From the very first moment that Botan had kissed him, Hiei knew that there was something there. He tried to ignore it, but that damn woman kept showing up. And she kept kissing him until he couldn't get her out of his head.

Bright eyes beckoned him and drew him in, powder blue tresses threaded through his fingers like silk, a flowery scent overwhelmed his senses and a pair of soft lips teased his own; the recollections kept coming, no matter how hard he tried to erase them.

All attempts to extinguish the fire she ignited within him ended in vain as the memories seared into his every waking moment. The woman had ruined him in a way that no enemy ever managed to and he hated himself for it.

There was only one thing left for him to do now and, as much as he detested resorting to this method, he knew that it was his only option.

Without any further hesitation, he jumped into the first portal he could find. He ended up on the outskirts of the Spirit World and wasted no time sprinting down the winding, yellow-paved road. The sky was a shade of pink that reminded him of that pesky woman's eyes and the closer he got to her room, the more he began to dread what he was about to do.

He leaped up to her balcony and paused. The curtains were drawn and afforded him a clear view of the woman through the glass doors. She was reading some sort of book on her bed, completely unaware of his presence. He noticed that the lock that he had previously destroyed was already replaced with a newer, studier one, but that would not be enough to keep him out. He could have easily broken it again, or he could have picked it and entered without her consent, but he decided to try a different method. If he was going to do this, he had to do it right.

Raising a closed fist, he knocked on the door. The ferry-girl was easily startled and her eyes widened almost comically when she spotted him from across the room. It took her a moment to gather her wits, but she eventually closed her book and shuffled off of her bed.

"I was wondering when you would show…" she said nervously, voice muffled by the door's barrier as she unlocked it and finally let him inside.

"You were expecting me," he concluded.

"It was inevitable… I was hoping you'd give it time to cool off before you came storming here, though," she admitted. "In any case, I just want you to know that I'm really sorry for everything. I don't know what came over me, but there was really no excuse for my behavior back there-"

"I didn't come here to listen to your apologies," Hiei interrupted bluntly.

She blinked in confusion, tilting her head slightly.

"Huh?"

"You've had your way with me for far too long, woman," he said. "Now it's my turn."

Botan gulped as she backed away from him slowly on shaky legs.

"Let's not be hasty now…"

"You didn't think you could keep doing that to me without any consequences did you?" he asked as he stalked towards her.

"No, Hiei, please don't kill me!" she pleaded fearfully.

He halted mid-step, his brow crinkling in confusion, before straightening out.

"I'm not going to kill you, woman," he replied. "I'm going to court you."

She stopped retreating and stared back at him in surprise, lashes fluttering as she blinked at him. Her mouth fell open wordlessly and she let out a small sound of confusion, words failing her.

"We are going to do this the logical way," he continued, crimson eyes locked onto her form.

"Do what?" she exclaimed.

"Courting," he repeated evenly.

Botan shook her head.

"B-but you don't even like me!"

"I would have killed you by now if that was the case."

"So… you actually do like me?" she inquired, blue brows lifted in surprise as she pointed to herself.

"That's not what I said," he denied.

"But you implied it."

He rolled his eyes irritably.

"You started this, woman," he accused. "You did whatever you pleased and got stuck in my head. Now we both have to go through something degrading and embarrassing to undo it."

"I don't understand…" she began with a confused shake of her head. "You've always hated me. How can a simple kiss change all of that?"

Hiei averted his gaze.

"The very concept of a kiss is much more serious and binding for demons than it is for you spirits and humans," he informed. "And you didn't just kiss me once, you did it on three separate occasions."

She seemed to understand what he was getting at and her expression turned somber.

"I'm really sorry, Hiei," she apologized regretfully. "I had no idea that it meant so much to you."

"It doesn't," he denied. "The only thing I'm concerned with is fixing this as quickly as possible. And the only way to do that is to court you and prove that we are not compatible."

Her lips pulled into a frown as she considered his proposal.

"Are you sure that's the most logical approach?" she questioned.

"Of course it is."

"But what if this whole thing backfires and you fall in love with me instead?"

"That won't happen," he scoffed.

"But what if it does?" she argued.

"It won't."

"It could!"

"Then I'll keep you," he decided rashly, for the sake of getting her off of his back.

She raised a brow suspiciously.

"You know I'm not just a possession or prize to be won, right?"

He looked her over disdainfully.

"Trust me, I know," he remarked.

"Hey, now, that was a little insulting…" Botan pouted.

"Good," he grunted out rudely.

"That's no way to talk to a girl that you intend to court, Hiei," she teased.

"I don't care. The point of this isn't to be nice to you. It's to fix what you've done to me," he reminded her.

The ferry-girl's gaze shifted guiltily, before moving up to meet his eyes again.

"Do you really think this will work?" she asked.

"It has to," he resolved.

"And how long do you suppose we will have to do this for?" she questioned with a frown.

"A week is all it should take to undo the notion that you started."

"I see…" she said. "Is there anything in particular that I should do?"

To be honest, he had no idea. He had never courted a woman before and he was completely out of his element.

"For now, just stay away from me," he ordered. "And refrain from kissing me."

"Alright. I can do that," she agreed with a nod.

Hiei turned to leave, but then Botan halted him.

"Wait," she called out. "…It just occurred to me: if we're courting, then we will be spending an awful lot of time together and I'll be getting to know you, too."

He faced her again, crossing his arms over his chest impatiently.

"What's your point, woman?"

"What if I end up falling in love with you when all of this is over?"

Hiei froze, eyes a fraction wider and lips slightly parted. The question was so absurd that it caught him off guard completely. He was the Forbidden Child, cursed to know nothing of love and affection and destined to live a life of solitude. There was nothing in him for her to fall in love with, but he supposed a naïve fool like her couldn't see that. Her inquiry was laughable and, yet, as he met her gaze, a heavy feeling sunk in his chest. He swallowed thickly and shook his head, expression hardening once more.

"You won't," he answered.

"But what if I do?" she pressed.

"Then you will have to find a way to get over it."

Botan frowned.

"That's not very nice, Hiei," she began reproachfully. "I'm helping you get over me, so you should be willing to do the same for me."

"Then we will just be stuck in a never ending cycle of courting," he pointed out.

Her posture deflated somewhat, gaze falling to the floor.

"I suppose that's true," she acknowledged.

Hiei shoved his hands in his pockets, unwilling to say anymore on the subject of love and emotions that he had no idea about.

"There is little to no point in focusing on "what if's"," he advised. "I will seek you out when the time comes and we will focus on the matter at hand."

"Okay. I'm all on board," she agreed amenably.

They shared one last look of understanding, before he exited the way he came. As he raced down the winding road, he was a little surprised that his visit went so smoothly. He expected her to protest and make more of a fuss, but she accepted his proposal and took it all in stride. She was so irritatingly good and far too agreeable.

He wanted to hate the woman on principle alone, but he couldn't find it within himself to do so.

After all, he was the weak willed one who couldn't get a simple ferry-girl out of his mind.

He was the fool who had gotten trapped by a simple kiss.

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed this one! I had a lot of fun writing it. Hiei's POV is always my favorite!


	8. Chapter 8

The very next day Hiei opened a telepathic link with Botan and requested that she meet him in the park located nearest to Kurama's house. He spotted her first, seated on a wooden bench with her hands folded in her lap, and he couldn't help but wonder how such a simple-minded and weak ferry-girl could have caused him to fall so low. Though she was admittedly attractive – powder blue hair, bright eyes and pouty pink lips made for a visually appealing and exotic sight in any of the three worlds – her looks alone were not enough to ensnare him this way.

He had faced many trials and tribulations in his life, but this one had to be the most trying of all. He could not rely on the strength and abilities he had gained over years of countless battles nor could he resort to use his usual methods of violence, thievery or intimidation. This was a different sort of battle and all he could do was remind himself that the ferry-girl was every bit as annoying and unbearable as he knew her to be. Then, perhaps his body would stop craving hers and his mind would stop playing tricks on him.

He took a determined step forward, moving into the sunlight and allowing himself to be seen. The ferry-girl perked up when she spotted him, though Hiei could not understand why his presence would cause such a reaction from her.

"There you are, Hiei," Botan addressed him, her voice light and warm. "I was beginning to think you stood me up."

"I always keep my appointments," he replied flatly.

He ignored the way her flowery scent wafted through the air as a breeze passed by and deliberately sat at the opposite end of the bench, keeping as much distance between them in order to prevent this encounter from ending in the same undignified manner as the rest. The ferry-girl did not appear to share his concerns, though, as she leaned towards him in that interfering way she did whenever she was hoping to pry information out of anyone.

"So…" she began, amethyst eyes swimming with curiosity as she regarded him. "Would you mind telling me why you called me out here?"

"I want you to tell me all of your undesirable traits," he stated bluntly.

Blue brows lifted in a mixture of shock and confusion.

"Huh?"

"Tell me everything and do not spare a single detail," he insisted evenly.

"That's the reason you had me drop everything and come here immediately?" she asked incredulously. "To tell you all of my flaws?"

"I need to know them," he said simply. "It will help undo this whole mess."

The ferry-girl hesitated, lips drawn into a displeased frown. She was clearly unhappy with what he had asked her to do, but he could not be bothered to care about her misgivings.

"The sooner you do, the sooner we both will be free to return to the way that things were," he reminded her sternly, crimson eyes boring into hers adamantly.

She pouted at him miserably and when she realized that he would not waver, she relented with a defeated sigh.

"My bad points," she started with a contemplative frown. "Hm, let's see... Yusuke says I have the tendency to nag, though I prefer to think of it as doling out sound advice and concern. I can be a bit of a blabbermouth and I'll ramble on incessantly when I'm excited or nervous. I also get quite emotional at times and I wear my heart on my sleeve, which makes it extremely easy for everyone to know what I'm thinking or how I'm feeling…"

This was good. Hiei hated all of those qualities, even more so when they were all wrapped up in one, annoying package. He had intended to tell her to continue, but he was sidetracked by the strange look of realization that dawned over her features.

"But you know…" she said as she stared back at him in a mixture of wonder and amusement. "Now that I think it about it, our character traits sort of balance each other out."

Hiei's features twisted into a frown, utterly confused over how she had drawn that conclusion.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Well, you're reckless and impulsive, so you could do with someone like me who isn't opposed to nagging about your safety every now and then. You're fairly quiet, which would even out all of my chattering. Plus you're always so stoic and inexpressive, while I've got a full range of emotions and am not opposed to showing it. When you look at it like that, you're like the yin to my yang!"

Hiei's expression darkened. He wasn't sure if he was angry with her for saying all those silly things or angry with himself for actually finding the logic in her words.

"You're missing the point entirely," he dismissed.

"I know. I was supposed to come here and remind you of all of the ways that we're unsuited for each other, right?"

He nodded.

"But even you have to admit that it's quite funny: the differences that are supposed to divide us could actually serve to make us compatible!" she said.

"Nothing about this situation is funny, woman," he gritted.

Botan's expression softened considerably, the look in her eyes changing to one of sympathy as she nodded.

"You're right, I suppose this isn't easy on you and I shouldn't make light of it," she said seriously. "I'm sorry."

He was actually surprised by the somber way she had straightened up. Perhaps she was finally beginning to understand how much of an inconvenience this was for him.

"There is no need to apologize," he told her. "Just continue telling me more about your shortcomings."

"Again?" she asked exasperatedly. "Don't you think it's your turn now?"

"No."

"But you haven't said a single thing about your own perceived flaws," she pointed out.

"And I don't intend to."

"That's not fair at all, Hiei!" she complained. "If I had to do it, then you should, too!"

Hiei crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. The codes and laws of courting were complex and cumbersome, but he was obliged to uphold them. She had done what he asked of her and it was only fair that he followed suit.

"I've been told that I'm rash," he grumbled.

"Go on," she encouraged.

"Stubborn."

"Mhm."

"Guarded."

"That's true…"

"And that's all," he finished.

"You're forgetting that you're pretty rude and callous, too," she pointed out.

"I don't care for false pleasantries and trivial courtesies."

"So I've noticed."

He grunted uncaringly and Botan giggled.

"Well, now that all of that unpleasantness is out of the way, how about we list off our good traits?" she suggested eagerly.

"Why would we do a thing like that?" he frowned.

"Just to balance out all of this negativity. I feel like I need to clear my name."

He scoffed, but decided not to deter her. Perhaps hearing all about her puerile little virtues would end up turning him off.

"Do what you want, woman, I really don't care," he replied.

"Okay! I'm a great friend and supporter, I'm loyal and I'm quite good at bringing up the mood," she noted. "How about you?"

"I'm not doing this," he refused obstinately.

"Why not?"

"Because it's pointless."

"Fine, then I'll do it for you," she offered.

He rolled his eyes as the ferry-girl began to ruminate over the so-called good qualities of his character. In his opinion it was a waste of time and effort. She did not know him and she never would; anything that she said would be meaningless and paltry.

"You're confident and self-assured and you've got the power and resolve to back it up," she began. "You never give up, even when the odds are stacked against you and you keep trudging on, no matter how big the trial, how dangerous the mission or how powerful the foe. You've got an iron will and a determination that burns brighter and stronger than most others."

Hiei's proud stance wavered momentarily, caught off guard by the complimentary nature of her words. He never had the experience of hearing someone else talk about him when it wasn't degrading or insulting and he found himself unable to do anything else but listen on numbly.

"You're kind and noble," she continued, entirely oblivious to what she was doing to him. "I've seen the lenient way you go easy on Kuwabara during your sparring sessions. I've noticed the kind and gentle way you treat Yukina when you think no one is watching. And I've witnessed you displaying a generous amount of mercy to your foes in the past."

He swallowed thickly as his throat ran dry. Something about the sincerity in her tone and the honesty in her eyes made him uneasy everywhere.

"You're also loyal and you're always there when we need you most," she observed. "Although you say you have no need for friends or family, you're still protective and dutiful in your own way. You won't hesitate to risk your life for those that matter and once you've committed yourself to a cause or to a team, you will see it through to the end."

A foreign stirring began to rise in his chest – a strange heaviness that had never been there before became all the more prominent with each word she uttered – and he didn't like it at all.

"Oh, and you-"

"-Stop," he interrupted tightly.

Botan seemed to be surprised by his sudden outburst, but she obeyed his request nonetheless.

"That's enough for today," he decided as he stood up and turned away from her, hardening his expression once more.

He had hoped to walk away from their encounter feeling repulsed by everything about her, but all he ended up being was confused. He should have never let her kiss her and she should have never allowed her to say all of those peculiar things about him.

As he lay awake later that night his thoughts returned to her lilting voice, her warm smile and her needlessly kind words. They stayed on his mind long past the point that they should have and Hiei didn't know what to make of that.

* * *

Poor Hiei, he really doesn't know what he's getting himself into. Botan always has a way of shaking him up and it's only going to get worse from here on out.

Thanks for all the reviews, faves, alerts and fanarts so far! :) You guys are way too sweet.


	9. Chapter 9

Hi everybody, I hope you're all doing well!

Updates have slowed down because things have gotten a bit hectic for me. I've gotten a few PMs about it, so I just wanted to clear the air and say that I'll never abandon a fic. It might take me a little while, but it will eventually get finished.

* * *

Hiei sat on an empty park bench, shoulders squared and fists clenched at his sides. He was determined not to retreat in the same weak and unbecoming manner that he did the last time he met with the ferry-girl; he resolved to make it through their second meeting without letting her get to him.

It was shameful the way her simple words held the power to affect him in a way that no other had before, twisting his insides and burrowing under his skin like a parasite that he couldn't shake. Now that he knew that the ferry-girl threw around heavy words as if they were as light as the air she flew on, he was better equipped to guard himself against it and, after tonight, he would be one step closer to disentangling himself from her strange hold.

The winds suddenly changed, carrying the familiar scent of flowers and fresh meadows and he lifted his eyes to see the very source of his current dilemma descending from the star-studded sky.

"Good evening, Hiei," Botan greeted as she dispelled her oar.

He nodded his head slightly in acknowledgement, watching as she took a seat beside him. She always sat too close for comfort, but he made no effort to distance himself, if only to prove that he was in control this time around.

"I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised that you called for me again," she confessed sheepishly. "You left so abruptly yesterday and I didn't know what to think. One minute you were here and the next you had vanished. I hope that I didn't offend you in any way."

Hiei briefly wondered how she would react if she ever became privy to the effect their last conversation had on him. He had no intentions of letting anyone know the truth, though, so he kept his indifferent guard up and tempered his expression.

"I'm not the sensitive sort," he said. "You should know by now that mere words do not have the ability to offend me."

"Well, that's good to hear," she replied, letting out a relieved breath. "I would have felt absolutely awful if I did."

Dark brows furrowed in confusion. He and the ferry-girl had never been remotely close; in fact, they had never even been on speaking terms until the day she kissed him. Their conversations consisted of him threatening her into keep her hyperactive mouth shut where Yukina was concerned and her interrupting his solitude to administer those pesky monthly evaluations. Their relationship was strictly professional at best. There was absolutely no reason for her to worry herself about his countenance or disposition, but the natural way she had relaxed upon hearing his response was a clear enough indication that she did care. He might never understand the reasons behind her actions, but he needed to know them anyway.

"Why would it matter to you?" he asked.

Her lashes fluttered as she blinked at him in confusion.

"Huh?"

"Why would you concern yourself over my feelings?" he clarified.

Botan didn't even need to pause to consider his question; the answer was already at the tip of her tongue.

"Well… even though you're rude and nasty most of the time, you're still my friend. The last thing I'd want to do is upset you."

She said that so easily – as if she believed it to be the truth – but as far as he was concerned, she was simply the bubbly, airheaded ferry-girl who spent far too much time in the human world and meddled in everyone else's affairs. There had never been any sense of loyalty or camaraderie between them – at least not on his part – and he supposed that it was time that he made it plainly clear to her.

"We aren't friends, woman."

"Sure we are," she insisted.

"No, we aren't," he refuted stubbornly.

"Well, then, what are we?" she challenged, raising a questioning brow at him.

He paused to consider her inquiry, averting his gaze momentarily. Their situation was a complex one: he was courting her in the hopes of breaking whatever strange spell she had cast over him and she, well, she seemed to be taking it all in stride. If all went according to plan, the ferry-girl would soon become another nameless face in the group; another inconsequential person that he need not concern himself with.

"We are nothing," he concluded, lifting his gaze to meet hers once more.

Her expression fell in displeasure as her bottom lip jutted out into a pout.

"That isn't true!" she objected. "Even if we started out on opposite sides of the same fight, we're on the same side now. That has to count for something, right?"

Crimson eyes stared back at her searchingly, trying to comprehend why she would be so insistent on something that was so pointless. There was nothing for her to gain by becoming his friend; there was no logical reason for her to want his companionship.

"…I don't understand," he confessed quietly.

"You don't understand what?"

"I don't understand why you want to be my friend," he clarified.

"I suppose we're even, because I can't possibly understand why you _wouldn't_ want to be mine," she retorted.

He rolled his eyes, wondering why he even bothered partaking in such a pointless conversation in the first place.

"Cheer up, Hiei," she urged upon taking sight of his darkened countenance. "There's no need to be so aggravated all the time."

"There's no reason to be so sickeningly bright all the time, either," he replied irritably. "Tell me, woman, is it just you or do all ferry-girls live in a constant state of blissful ignorance?"

"Excuse me?" she asked

"Does anything exist in that mind of yours besides sunshine and rainbows?" he taunted.

"Of course it does, I simply prefer to look on the bright side," she huffed, folding her arms over her chest indignantly. "In case you've conveniently forgotten: I ferry dead souls for a living, the human world is constantly in danger, Spirit World seems to be in a perpetual state of unrest and I'm always worried that some terrible threat might arise and hurt the people that I care about. If I didn't actively search for the good in life and remind myself to happy, then I'd be sad and anxious all the time!"

Hiei wasn't expecting to hear any of that from her. He assumed that she was so dense to the world and its evils that she was able to live in an ignorant bubble of bliss, but it appeared as though he thought wrong. She had seen and experienced her fair share of troubles and had chosen to seek and claim happiness for herself instead of wallowing in misery.

"Did you know that our minds naturally recall bad memories more easily than the good ones?" she informed. "I think we're all wired to be a little pessimistic, but we'll be much better off if we try to find the little joys in life instead."

"..."

"So, what about you mister?" she probed. "Why are you always so grumpy?"

"I'm bound to a world that I hate, working for the world that I despise and in the presence of humans and spirits who I have no interest in understanding," he answered easily. "There is no bright side for me, not unless I return to the place I truly belong."

"I suppose that's one way of looking at it," she acknowledged. "But in the same vein you're also alive, healthy, safe and in the vicinity of your dear sister and your good friends. Stop and smell the roses, Hiei!"

Hiei raised a brow in confusion.

"I fail to see what Kurama's primary choice of weapon has to do with any of this," he replied flatly.

Botan giggled behind her oversized kimono sleeve.

"It's a human world figure of speech," she explained. "It just means that you should stop and enjoy the moment; try to find the good while you're here and experience all that this world has to offer."

"There is nothing that appeals to me in this world," he maintained obstinately.

"You only say that because you haven't looked hard enough," she pointed out. "The human world is a wonderful place and humans aren't as bad as you were raised to believe they are."

"I suppose they taught you that tolerant and pacific message in the Spirit World?" he inquired bitterly.

"You'd be surprised what they taught us," she replied. "Simply sitting here with you like this would be a cause for concern with the elders."

"Then why do you do it?" he asked. "You don't strike me as the rebellious type, woman."

"Because it would be a shame to judge or disregard someone without getting the chance to know them first."

The thought occurred to him that that was exactly what he was attempting to do with her, but he expunged it from his mind entirely.

"Hn. So you don't just blindly follow what your leaders tell you to."

Botan shook her head in response.

"I think it's best to find the truth out for yourself," she said confidently. "You know, like Yukina did when she left the ice village and learned that not all men were bad and like Kurama did, when he came to the world of the living and learned to accept it and its inhabitants."

"I see."

"You may come to like this world if you opened your mind to it," she suggested, before shrugging. "And who knows you may even come to like me if you gave it a decent try."

"…Are you attempting to ensnare me, woman?" he asked, his tone tight and edged with suspicion.

"No, silly!" she replied in amusement as she waved a hand to dismiss his claims. "I just meant that if you got to know me better, then you would realize that we could be great friends and you wouldn't be so confused over this whole kiss thing!"

"I'm not confused," he denied, stubbornly crossing his arms over his chest. "I know exactly what I'm doing."

Botan's expression softened into a look of understanding as she nodded in agreement.

"Of course you do," she replied.

As she turned her gaze skywards, he kept his eyes on her. He had purposely met the ferry-girl under the cover of night in the hopes that he would not have to see the brightness of her smiles or the light in her eyes, but she still managed to shine. His eyes traveled up the length of her neck and past the soft angle of her jaw to rest on her lips. That damned mouth of hers was the cause of his troubles in more ways than one and it was almost unfair that she was so unaware of what she had done to him.

An unfamiliar and unwelcome tightness began to intensify within his chest the longer he stared at her. He had learned more about the woman in the past two days than he had in all of the months of knowing her and, instead of being repulsed by her, he found himself wondering what it would be like if he kissed her again.

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Thank you as always for all of the support!


	10. Chapter 10

Botan decided to switch up their routine by packing some food and having a nice little afternoon picnic. She didn't bring anything fancy – just some simple _onigiri_ – and a few drinks that she thought Hiei might enjoy. They were currently seated atop a checkered blanket with their bento boxes between them and the warmth of the summer sunlight pouring down from above. It was a perfect day and she accounted her good mood to the calm atmosphere, the beautiful weather and the fact that she could relax in one of her favorite spots in the human world. It had nothing to do with the fire-demon across from her. Nope. Not a thing.

She snuck a glance at him and smiled.

Well, maybe it was in some small part because of him.

Being alone with Hiei was remarkably easy. She talked, he listened and, if she was lucky, she saw slight glimpses of the man behind the mask. Their time together was simple and stress-free and completely unrelated to her ferry-girl duties. For once she was simply allowed to be herself; for once she was enough.

As she finished off her last rice ball, she stole another glance at the fire-demon. This was the first time she had ever seen him eat at all and she was pleased to see that he was apparently enjoying it. He didn't appear to be the picky sort and he even held some modicum of table manners, unlike Yusuke and Kuwabara. She had to admit that he looked sort of adorable in that moment. He sat cross-legged with his cloak and sword discarded in a pile behind him and a half-eaten rice ball in his left hand. He had a contemplative look on his face, crimson eyes slightly rounder as he chewed and tried to process the new and unfamiliar flavors. Never once did his features tighten or scrunch up in distaste and Botan swelled with pride.

"So, how do you like it?" Botan inquired, breaking the comfortable silence that had enveloped them.

Hiei swallowed and lifted his gaze to meet hers.

"It's suitable," he answered after a moment of consideration.

Botan supposed that was as close to a compliment as she would get from the fire-demon and nodded in satisfaction. She watched him finish off his final rice ball and bit back a giggle when she spotted a bit of sticky rice on the corner of his mouth.

"You've got some..." she started, pointing over at him.

"Hn?" he grunted in response, returning his attention towards her with a raised brow.

"Here," Botan said as she reached out her hand and brushed the pad of her thumb against the end of his mouth, clearing away the grain of rice with a smile.

Hiei stiffened at the contact and his gaze locked onto hers, ruby eyes slightly wider but devoid of their usual rage, indifference or disgust. She could not quite discern what he was thinking, but the look on his face caused a rush of inexplicable emotion to flutter through her. The moment ended when she retracted her hand and Hiei looked away, but the remnants of that strange feeling lingered and would not subside. The ferry-girl honestly had no clue of what was happening, but she was afraid to find out, so she decided not to dwell on it. Instead, she busied herself with tidying up their little picnic area and discarding the napkins and empty bottles into a plastic bag. She then collected the bento boxes and stacked them on top of each other deliberately slowly, giving her heart the time it needed to calm down. Once she had finished her task and regained her bearings, she dared to glance over at the stubbornly silent fire-demon. He had thrown his indifferent mask up again and the air between them morphed into something stifled and tense. She knew that it was up to her to make the first move, so she cleared her throat and asked the question that had persisted in her mind ever since they both agreed to this arrangement.

"Say, Hiei, what do males usually do when they're courting?"

His guard slipped somewhat as he raised a dark brow at her.

"How do males go about courting?" she repeated. "Do they shower their lover with affection and gifts?"

"The point of demon courtship isn't gift giving," he replied. "It's to show strength, wealth and stability."

"Really?" she asked, leaning in closer and hanging off of his every word.

He nodded.

"Even the most powerful demon will bend over backwards and make a fool of himself to claim the attentions and affections of the one he is interested in," he ridiculed.

"How romantic!" Botan gushed, clasping her hands together and sighing.

"It's unbecoming of a warrior or anyone with pride," Hiei spat, his features twisted in disgust.

"I think it's admirable that a man would go through so much for the woman he cares for," Botan defended.

"There is nothing admirable in that," Hiei refuted.

"I suppose we'll simply agree to disagree, then," she settled.

"Hn."

"…So, how long does courting usually last for?" she asked.

"It depends on the demons in question."

"And can it be a casual thing or is it usually only reserved for serious partners?"

"Demons only court with the intentions of binding themselves to their intended mate. It isn't something to be taken lightly the way humans do."

"I see…"

"Now you answer my question, ferry-girl," he ordered, shooting her with a suspicious look as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Why are you suddenly so curious about demon customs?"

"M-me?" she asked, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. "Well, it's silly, really."

"I still want to know," he probed.

Botan bit her lip in uncertainty as she contemplated telling him the truth. He had been brutally honest and upfront with her and she supposed that she owed it to him to do the same.

"The truth is, this is probably the only time I'll ever experience courting like this," she revealed quietly, avoiding his gaze. "I guess it fascinates me so much because it's something I'll never have."

Hiei's brow furrowed.

"There must be some fool in the Spirit World who shares the same idealistic notions as you," he countered, his tone much less caustic than usual.

Botan shook her head, her smile failing to reach her eyes as she spoke.

"Most spirits don't concern themselves with any type of love, much less the romantic kind," she explained. "I never used to bother with it, either, but the more time I spent with Yusuke and the others, the more I started to understand it."

"And now you desire something that you cannot have," he finished.

"I suppose sometimes I do," she confessed, meeting his gaze once more. "You might be waiting for this to end, but this is all I'll ever have. I'll never receive sweet words or flowers or anything of that nature… I'll never know what it's like."

"Such things are pointless," he dismissed.

"Maybe to you they are. But I think they're wonderful," she said wistfully.

Hiei scoffed and looked off to the side. She followed his gaze to the trail of golden dandelions and watched as his frown grew and forehead creased with lines. He appeared to be contemplating something deeply and before she knew it, he reached out a hand plucked one of them from the grass with more force than necessary. Botan's eyes widened as he pushed the dandelion into her hand, jumping slightly at the sensation of his fingertips brushing against her palm. She blinked down at the single plant in her grasp and then looked back at Hiei in a mixture of awe and bewilderment.

"Now you've received your silly little token," he said. "There is no need to lament over it any longer."

Amethyst eyes lit up in delight, all of her previous displeasure forgotten as she accepted the gesture with a nod.

"Now all I need are some bold declarations and promises for the future," she teased as she stroked the petals with her fingertips

"How quickly you forget, woman. I've given you plenty those already."

She blinked at him, tilting her head slightly as she thought back to all of their past encounters.

"You have?"

"There have been numerous occasions where I've promised you a lifetime of everlasting pain, excruciating torture and endless torment," he recalled with an almost devilish glint in his eyes. "You have yet to take me up on that offer."

"Oh, yes, how could I possibly forget," she laughed sheepishly, thinking back to all those terrifying death threats he had issued to her in the past. "You sure do know how to treat a girl, Hiei."

"I know," he replied, a ghost of a smirk edging the corner of his mouth upwards.

"And while I appreciated those _generous_ offers, I'd much rather stick with the flowers going forward," she teased as she twirled the stalk between her fingers.

"Suit yourself, woman," he retorted.

A calm ease had settled between them once more and Botan found her heart soaring high. She stared down at the tiny dandelion, still a bit surprised that Hiei had even bothered to gift it to her in the first place. Even if it was just a weed and even if he had done it unthinkingly, the gesture was not lost on her. It was a moment she would never forget and it was something that she wanted to hold onto forever.

* * *

The continuation of this scene will continue on in the next chapter. It was getting too long, so I decided to split it.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this brief little glimpse into Botan's POV. Thank you - as always - for your sweet reviews. You guys are the best.


	11. Chapter 11

Here's Part II of the previous chapter.

* * *

Crimson eyes narrowed in confusion as they glanced at the ferry-girl. She had moved to sit beside him now – Hiei didn't know when or how that had happened, but she had an uncanny way of getting into his personal space – and appeared to be completely enthralled by the insignificant and commonplace weed that he had gifted to her. The silly little thing was already starting to wilt, but she still held it carefully in her grip as if it bore some sort of importance or value. His frown deepened as her smile continued to grow brighter and stretch across her lips. It took little to make her happy, but this was ridiculous. Hiei honestly could not understand the reason behind the magnitude of her gratitude and he was quickly beginning to regret his impulsive and hurried decision.

He averted his gaze towards the trail of dandelions in the grass, thinking back to that uncharacteristically wistful look on the ferry-girl's face. It was that pesky expression that prompted him to act in the first place and lead him to where he was now. He had always hated it when people sulked and pitied themselves, but there was something about the hint of longing dulling her amethyst eyes and the somber shade of sadness playing amongst her features that bothered him. It was a side of her that he had never seen before; a side of her that he was sure the others were not privy to. He didn't like it, and he did not know what to do to return her to her usual disposition. Even worse, he was completely unsure as to why he felt so inclined to pull her out of this mood in the first place.

Rather than waste more time deliberating and contemplating over the strange behaviors of an even stranger woman, Hiei plucked the first dandelion his fingers made contact with and pushed it into her hands. It was supposed to quell her mood and wipe that melancholy expression from her face, but the depths of her happiness gave rise to a new wave of trouble. It appeared as though his thoughtless gesture had touched some part of her - some place where no one else had ever reached - and that thought alone was enough to unnerve him.

"Say, Hiei," Botan said, twirling the stalk between her thumb and forefinger before setting her sights on him with an amused tilt of her lips. "I know we aren't really courting, or at least not with the intentions of staying together, but if this was real, is this the sort of thing that you would do?"

He raised a brow at her and she giggled.

"Are you the type to give flowers and other tokens of affection?" she clarified, amusement twinkling in her bright eyes.

Hiei shook his head, immediately disgusted by the thought.

"You should know by now that I have no need to entertain such a mindless and frivolous thought," he replied.

"I suppose you do have a point there. You aren't exactly the type to plan ahead," Botan noted, before shrugging her shoulders dismissively. "No matter, I'm sure instinct will take over when the time comes."

"What?"

"I'm saying that there's no sense in worrying about it now. I'm sure it will come naturally to you when you find that special someone."

"That's ridiculous."

"Not really. You said it yourself: even the most unlikely of demons go to great lengths for their significant other. I'm sure that even a guy like you will have a few tricks up your sleeves in the end," she encouraged, bopping his chest with the dandelion playfully.

"You're not understanding what I'm saying," Hiei said, pushing her hand away with a frown. "The time will never come. Not for me."

Botan's teasing grin dropped, brows crinkling in confusion as her lips drew into a pout.

"Why would you say that?"

The answer to that was fairly obvious: he was loveless and unlovable and that was just the way he preferred it. The woman was crazy to believe otherwise and, yet, she continued to treat him as though he was the same as everyone else; as though he was as redeemable as the detective or the fox. But Hiei did not need redemption and he certainly did not need something as flimsy and fleeting as love. If he really needed to spell it out for her, then so be it.

"You know what I am," he stated plainly. The Spirit World had information concerning his relation to Yukina, so he was positive that they had intelligence concerning emikos and the stigma that surrounded them. "You know all about the type of life that I've lived and the sort of existence that I am destined to lead. That should be reasoning enough for you."

"But that's all just a load of poppycock!" Botan argued. "The curse of the emiko is just something that a bunch of close-minded and contemptuous women fabricated. They were afraid of you because they couldn't understand you and they placed this social stigma on you because they could not control you."

"I know that," he admitted reluctantly.

"Then you should know that everything they've ever proclaimed about you is nonsense that holds no weight! It's groundless and untrue and downright nasty, if you ask me."

"It isn't as simple as that, woman," he muttered lowly.

"Well, sure it is. You've shown time and time again that you're a good guy, deep down. When it matters, you do the right thing, which is more than I can say for anyone who would think otherwise about you."

"It doesn't matter," he dismissed, that familiar weight residing in his chest.

"Of course it does!" Botan argued, slapping a hand down against the checkered blanket. "You're so much more than what they thought you could be. You're capable of more than they ever gave you credit for and you deserve all the good that comes your way, including love!"

Hiei found himself slightly taken aback by the intensity of her expression and the obstinacy swirling in her amethyst eyes. He had seen her anger flare up countless times, but this was different. This was in defense of him and he wasn't quite sure how to feel about that. His senses were edged with the reality of something just beyond his reach; something he could not quite comprehend. This emotion was new and, like most things that revolved around the ferry-girl, it made him more uncomfortable than he cared to admit.

"You don't know what you're saying," he dismissed eventually, his voice a little more strained than he had hoped it would be. "You yourself said you have never experienced and will never experience love."

"Maybe I was wrong," she admitted hopefully. "Maybe love really isn't all that elusive to people like us."

She really was daft, he concluded. When he had first proposed this pseudo courtship she had foolishly asked him what would happen if she fell for him and, even after spending some time with him, she still did not see what was so plainly obvious: love, in any form of the word, was not something that would ever come to him. Perhaps the ferry-girl had a chance, but it was completely lost to a soul like his. He didn't understand why she was so adamant about proving him wrong, but it was starting to grate on his nerves.

"Hiei-"

"I don't want to talk about this with you, woman," he interrupted firmly, bringing his gaze back up to meet hers. "I don't want to talk about this with anyone."

All of the fight faded from her entirely, her eyes wide and unblinking as she stared back at him. Eventually, her expression softened, settling into a look of sympathy as she nodded.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to pry," she apologized.

"Hn."

"It's just… I really think that you're doing yourself a huge disservice, Hiei," she began, that misguided determination rising within her again.

"I don't care."

"But..."

He scowled at her, but the woman what the woman lacked in raw power, she made up for in sheer persistence.

"Just let me say this one last thing," she urged. "Please?"

"Fine," he relented, turning his head to the left stubbornly in an attempt to avoid her gaze. "Speak your piece and then this discussion is over."

"Okay," she agreed hurriedly.

In the very next moment, she had placed a hand over his closed fist in what she presumed to be a comforting gesture. His body tensed at the unexpected contact, nerves electrified by a current that was entirely foreign to him as his demon heart began to beat at a higher rate than normal. Her touch was warm and soft and light; all of the things that he was not accustomed with. He had the mounting urge to pull away and flee entirely, but he steeled himself and refused to give in to such weak and unbecoming impulses. She was just a ferry-girl. He had faced far greater opponents than she, and he was determined not to let her mess with his mind any further.

He glared at her warningly, but that gentle smile did not waver and the kindness in her eyes remained true.

"You're strong in body, mind and soul and you've lived through things that would have shattered lesser beings," she started calmly, her hand gripping his a little firmer than before. "The world and all of its evils could have shaped you into a horribly despicable soul, but you've risen above all of that to become someone with honor, duty and dignity."

He frowned in confusion and her smile widened in response.

"Any girl would be lucky to have someone as brave and loyal as you," she said amiably. "And I can only hope that one day you'll realize it, too."

Hiei had never believed that love could ever come to a man like him, but when she looked at him with such warmth in her eyes, when she touched him with a tenderness that he did not deserve and when she spoke to him with words that no other had before, he started to wonder if he might have been wrong this entire time.

* * *

Next time: Hiei seeks counsel and Botan has a revelation of sorts.


	12. Chapter 12

Hiei leapt through Kurama's open window. The redhead – who had been studying at his desk – was not startled at all by the sudden and unexpected intrusion. He simply set his writing utensil down and closed his textbook, before regarding Hiei with a patient and knowing look.

"I was wondering when you would stop by," Kurama greeted conversationally.

Hiei raised a brow in confusion, prompting the other man to continue.

"I assumed you would come to me for advice concerning your affair with Botan," he clarified as he took a stand.

"You knew," Hiei said flatly, unsurprised by the turn of events. Somehow, _someway_ , the fox always knew everything.

"Yes, Yusuke brought us up to date with what's been going on," Kurama informed.

A dark scowl passed over Hiei's features.

"I should have known not to trust the detective with something like this," he grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It wasn't entirely his fault," Kurama defended. "When Kuwabara witnessed your tryst with Botan firsthand, Yusuke thought it best if he explained how it all came to pass."

Hiei's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"That's impossible," he refuted, dark brows furrowing as he replayed his past encounters with the ferry-girl. There was absolutely no way that the oaf spotted them - not without his knowledge.

"There's no need to be embarrassed, Hiei. We are all friends and, given Kuwabara's affinity towards matters of the heart, I'd say that he has no room to judge."

"I'm not embarrassed," Hiei denied. "I'm irritated that you take me for a fool. Kuwabara and Yukina were in the nearby vicinity, but I know for a fact that they were not privy to anything that had happened between myself and the ferry-girl. I made sure of it."

Kurama adopted a look of slight confusion, which was rare for him, and even rarer for Hiei to witness.

"It is my understanding that Kuwabara was alone when he came across you both. Yukina was not with him," he eventually replied.

"She was," Hiei insisted, growing tired of the annoying game that the fox was playing. "They were near the koi pond at the front of the old woman's temple."

An amused smile curled at Kurama's lips as emerald eyes filled with mirth. It was the sort of look that meant that Kurama knew something that Hiei did not and he knew that he would not like where this was going.

"Kuwabara was in the forest, on his way to Genkai's, when he spotted you. He was not with Yukina and he was nowhere near the koi pond," Kurama revealed. "This was several days after we all gathered at the temple."

Hiei's eyes widened as he realized that Kurama was referring to the afternoon that the ferry-girl had come to give him his evaluation; the very same day that they ended up in an embarrassing and overzealous show of smacking lips and roaming hands. It would have been better if Kuwabara had seen them during their second kiss at Genkai's instead, because that third and final time was by far the most humiliating of them all. He cursed himself for his indiscretion and he tried his best to temper his expression as Kurama continued talking.

"I thought Kuwabara was being juvenile and immature when he recalled how... passionate... the display was, but judging by the pale look on your face, I can only assume that his claims were not an exaggeration," he concluded.

Hiei growled out in annoyance, refusing to comment on the particulars of his interactions with the ferry-girl. He was disgusted by himself on two accounts: the first being that he was too wrapped up in his moment with the ferry-girl to sense Kuwabara's approach and the second being that he had foolishly given the fox more information than he deserved to know. It seemed as though he was becoming the butt of a very longwinded joke and he was getting tired of it all.

"None of that matters – I didn't come here to give you the specifics."

"Yes, I suppose such details are irrelevant, given the precarious nature of your predicament."

"Hn."

"You do understand the gravity of the situation, don't you?" Kurama prodded, his voice level and cautionary.

"I'm well aware."

"And are you familiar with the demon customs involving a kiss?" Kurama probed.

"I'm well aware," he answered.

"Then why did you allow it to happen multiple times?"

Hiei shifted uncomfortably, almost regretting his decision now that it was time to follow through. He knew that Kurama was wiser and more experienced than him when it came to certain matters and he would surely be able to see something that Hiei couldn't, but that didn't make this any easier.

"I didn't allow it; it just happened," he answered ambiguously.

Kurama's expression softened as he took a step forward.

"Why don't you start from the beginning?" he suggested carefully. "You only need to tell me what you feel comfortable with."

Hiei's gaze drifted out of the window as he attempted to gather his thoughts. So much had occurred in such a short span of time that he didn't know where to begin. Silence stretched over them for a few seconds, before he brought his gaze back to meet Kurama's patient one. The redhead nodded encouragingly and Hiei steeled himself for what he was about to do.

"It started with a kiss," he revealed.

"Yes, I gathered that much."

"The detective duped the woman into thinking that if she kissed me, she could join in on a mission. I thought it was over, but several days later, she did it again at Genkai's temple."

"When Kuwabara and Yukina were at the koi pond, I presume?"

Hiei nodded and continued begrudgingly.

"…And then she forced herself upon me once more, in the forest," he continued.

"That must have been when Kuwabara saw you both," Kurama remarked.

"Hn."

"And was that the last of it?"

"Yes."

"Did Botan initiate each instance?"

"She did."

"And you played no part in this?" Kurama probed. "You did not reciprocate or make her feel as though this was mutual at all?"

Hiei's gaze dithered slightly, but that was all Kurama needed.

"I see," the redhead answered diplomatically.

"That blasted woman did something to me," Hiei disclosed with an angry frown. "I couldn't get her out of my head, so I decided to take control of the situation and court her."

Kurama blinked in surprise before breaking out into a pleased smile.

"Well, that was surprisingly mature of you," he commended. "I thought you would avoid her and repress your instincts and urges, but it is refreshing to see that you went the opposite route."

"It's not like that, fox," Hiei warned. "I only did it to prove that we are incompatible."

The other man's expression fell a little from its impressed air and instead settled into a look of understanding.

"Judging by the stiff set of your jaw and shoulders, I can only assume that it had the opposite effect."

Hiei averted his gaze and nodded.

"…She says things without thinking," he divulged quietly. "Strange things."

"Botan is very open with her thoughts and feelings, but she means well," Kurama acknowledged.

"That is exactly the problem."

"How so?"

Hiei gritted his teeth. How could he tell Kurama that her mere words were enough to trip him up; that it wasn't simply a physical attraction that was ruining him? It was much too embarrassing to say aloud and he was too guarded to admit anything remotely close to the truth.

"Let's backtrack," Kurama suggested. "How many times have you met up since deciding to court her?"

"Three," he answered curtly.

"And what happened the first time?"

"I told her to list out all of her bad qualities and yet, she ended up spouting nonsense about my supposed good qualities."

"And the second time around?"

"She continued to irritate me and say all manner of peculiar things."

"And the third?"

"Once again, she proved herself to be a nuisance by presuming to know me and saying things I did not need to hear."

"And despite all of that, she still remains on your mind," Kurama concluded.

"Hn," he grunted. "She is loud, idealistic and far too cheery, but she's become burrowed in my mind like a parasite. Something must be wrong with me, fox, and that is why I have come to you."

"There is nothing wrong with you, I can assure you of that," Kurama consoled with a shake of his head. "But I do have one bit of advice that may be of use."

"I'm listening."

"Instead of meeting with Botan and looking for reasons to detest her, perhaps you should sit back and simply observe her."

"Observe her?"

"Get to know her properly, without any other misconceptions floating around in your mind," Kurama explained. "Rather than forcing yourself to dislike her, see her for who she really is and then consider your options from there."

If this was a few days earlier, Hiei would have stubbornly brushed off the silly suggestion, but it was becoming clear that his methods weren't working and he had nothing left to lose. Besides, past experience had taught him that disregarding the fox was never a good idea.

Maybe he did need to take a step back and stop forcing things. If he observed her naturally and with an objective mind, then he would soon be reminded of all of the things he could not stand about her and this unfounded attraction would vanish.

Hiei nodded determinedly. It was a smart decision seeking council with the fox; he was much older and wiser and he had supplied him with the answer he needed in the end.

"I think I understand," he said.

Kurama smiled in return.

"I'm glad you seem to be handling this with patience and maturity, Hiei," he praised. "It seems as though you are finally—what are you doing?"

Hiei had untied his bandana and removed it in one swift motion. The jagan slowly began to open as he fixed Kurama with a smirk.

"I'm taking your advice."

"Hiei-"

"You needn't worry; I won't get caught."

"That's not what I'm worried about," Kurama corrected. "You know that it isn't right to invade Botan's privacy like this."

"Hn, I'm not as juvenile as the detective. I won't look in on anything I shouldn't see."

"Technically, all of it would be things that you should not be privy to," Kurama pointed out.

"Quiet, fox, I'm trying to concentrate."

Kurama sighed and shook his head, relenting to Hiei's will. Without Kurama's berating voice in his head, the fire-demon was better able to concentrate on the task at hand. He closed his eyes and the jagan began to glow atop his forehead as he searched for a specific signal. It was only a matter of moments before the jagan located the blue-haired woman in some sort of break room, conversing with the dark-haired, morose looking ferry-girl that he had seen once or twice before.

 _"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" the dark-haired woman asked._

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"I've heard a lot of talk about this fire-demon and none of it is good."_

 _"Hiei can be ill-tempered and a danger to his foes, yes," Botan agreed. "But he's also an honorable and indispensable ally and Lord Koenma wouldn't have put him put him on the team if he couldn't be trusted."_

 _"Yes, but both you and Lord Koenma both share the same habit of being far too gullible."_

 _"I suppose you have a point, there," Botan admitted. "But Hiei is a swell guy. He would never intentionally hurt me or any of the others and I know that I'm safe when I'm with him."_

 _"How can you be so sure of that?"_

 _"I don't know, I just am," she replied with an easy shrug of her shoulders. "There is more to him than meets the eye. In fact,_ _I've quite enjoyed our time together."_

 _"You have?"_

 _"Yes, up until now Hiei liked to pretend that I didn't even exist, but now it feels like we're on equal ground. I've never spent so much time with him or heard him talk to so much. It's certainly a pleasant change in routine."_

 _"I don't think I will ever understand your fascination with humans and demons," the other woman stated. Her tone wasn't insulting or demeaning; simply perplexed._

 _Botan smiled._

 _"He's just so different than I thought he would be and even though we've only got a few more days of courting left,_ _I'd like to get to know him more."_

Hiei terminated the connection immediately, his eyes snapping open wildly as the jagan eye closed up. He knew all about the prejudices between the worlds, and the fact that the woman had chosen to defend him to one of her own kind was surprising. That irksome weight settled in the center of his chest, heavy and uncomfortable and completely unwarranted.

"Is something the matter?" Kurama asked.

Hiei shook his head, words failing him at the moment.

"Are you certain?" Kurama pressed.

"Positive," he affirmed as he retied his bandana and concealed the jagan eye.

But it wasn't okay; none of this was okay

* * *

"It's really okay, Ayame," Botan reassured. "There's no reason for you to worry."

"It's not that I doubt you, Botan," Ayame said. "I just think that this is all a bit concerning…"

Botan stopped stirring her tea and shifted her attention across the table to where Ayame sat.

"What do you mean?"

"Your entire mood changes when you talk about the fire-demon. It almost seems as though you were getting attached to him."

Botan's eyes widened in shock.

"A-attached…?"

"Yes."

"I'm not… I just…" she trailed off uncertainly, gaze falling down towards her teacup.

While it was true that her thoughts had been straying to the fire-demon much more often in the past few days, she figured that it was simply a result the extra time they had been spending together. It seemed only natural that she would replay their conversations in her head and remember his expressions as clear as day. It was normal that she found herself looking forward to their meetings and wishing that they could last longer than a week. If she was becoming attached to him, then surely it was in the same friendly way that she had become attached to Yusuke or Shizuru or any of the others.

But a worrying voice in the back of her mind told her that the light and happy feeling that had only recently begun to surface whenever she thought of Hiei was far different than what she should have felt for a friend.

She looked up at Ayame unsurely and was thankful to find that the other woman wore the same neutral expression as always. Botan did not know what she would do if she was met with accusatory eyes and a disapproving frown.

"You've always been different than the rest of us, Botan," Ayame started. "You're more emotional, trusting and open than most other beings and while I don't think those are necessarily bad qualities, they could very easily lead you astray."

Botan frowned.

"Ayame, I... I don't know what to say."

"Just promise that you will be careful."

"Of course I will," she responded.

Ayame appeared to be satisfied with her response and began to drink her tea, signaling the end of the conversation.

Botan followed suit, bringing the warm liquid to her lips and taking a long drink. It did little to calm or soothe her, though, and she couldn't help the worried frown that had etched into her features.

She wasn't quite sure what it was that she felt for Hiei now that she was actually forced to consider it. Their situation was a precarious one and anything could happen, but even if by some strange turn of events she actually did catch feelings for him, there was no way that it could ever work. The fire-demon would never feel the same about her; he made that much clear many times over.

* * *

Things are moving forward slowly for our favorite pair. Next time, Hiei pays Botan another unexpected visit in the Spirit World and they continue to see new sides of each other.


	13. Chapter 13

Hey guys!

FFnet is being glitchy – as per usual – so make sure you've read Chapter 12 before moving onto this one!

* * *

Hiei sat atop one of the thickest branches in the tallest trees on the outskirts of the old woman's property. Keeping with Kurama's advice, he had been checking in on the ferry-girl all day, searching for something that would deter him from this ridiculous gravitation towards her.

His first attempt afforded him a glimpse of her in the middle of a hallway, comforting the blubbering blue ogre as he lamented over Koenma's latest mistreatment of him. While Hiei would have been far too callous to even offer the ogre a sympathetic look, Botan remained with him for the entirety of his outburst and gave him a few encouraging and consoling words. Hiei knew her well enough by now to know that her actions were not for show, nor were they for the sake of getting rid of the ogre; she meant every word she said and afforded others with far more compassion than they deserved. He briefly wondered why she even bothered to care to such an extent, but he supposed that it wasn't his business. The woman never did anything halfheartedly and he could admit that there was honor in that.

Sometime later, he saw her in the front of a small classroom, where she instructed and trained a set of apprentice ferry-girls. She seemed to favor the youngest one - a redhead whose skills were subpar at best - but she treated all of the trainees with patience and respect. More surprising, though, was the degree of knowledge she seemed to possess. She knew the rules and regulations in and out and had a mastery over the abilities that were required of her. He had never noticed it before, but somewhere beneath that ditzy countenance and happy-go-lucky personality laid an impressive mind and a strong worth ethic.

Later on, he found her doing something that was not so surprising and was typically inline with her character: she was gossiping with a group of ferry-girls, laughing and joking around with them in the same manner that she often did with the detective and the other humans. He was not sure how long she had been there for, but she suddenly stood up abruptly, having remembered something important. She bid the women farewell and proceed to race down the halls to the opposite side of the temple, apologizing profusely as she forced her way through the sea of madness that was the Spirit World. He watched as she holed herself up in a dimly lit room and began filling out reports frantically, all the while muttering about some deadline.

And now, hours later as the sun was setting, he was about to look in on her again - because even after a day of invasive watching, he hadn't found anything incriminating enough to dispel her from his mind. He removed his bandana and opened the jagan. Focusing on the ferry-girl's distinct energy, he located her on the roof of a temple with the same women she had been gossiping with earlier. A few of the administrative ogres had joined them as well and Hiei ended the connection.

Although he hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary, he did realize one thing: the ferry-girl had a life entirely separate from the human world and the spirit detective team. She had many people and things to occupy her time with, so he could only wonder why she chose to waste her time with _him_.

He couldn't fathom why she would extend her care to him, why she would bother to spare him her soft smiles and kind words or why she would choose to share her light with him. It was all so baffling. She wasn't supposed to concern herself over a demon like him.

But she did.

And it did something strange to him.

* * *

Hiei landed on the roof where Botan and the others were. No one had spotted him yet, but he was unsurprised. Spirits were far too lax and unguarded to notice anything other than what was right in front of them. They were all too busy marveling over the sunset to sense his presence and Hiei's eyes landed on Botan in the center of it all. A sense of calm washed over him in that moment, the tension releasing from his body as he did nothing but what Kurama had told him to: observer her.

She had a contented smile on her face, features relaxed and smooth. Her bright eyes and pink lips and powder blue hair were cast in a golden light and the woman was nearly glowing. He found himself unable to look away as he watched her in a way that he never had before. He was considering turning around and leaving her be, when he was spotted by one of the ogres seated on the outskirts of the small group.

"I-it's the fire-demon!" he exclaimed fearfully, backing away on his hands and feet and bumping into another spirit in his haste to get away.

Hiei snapped out of his trance and masked his expression, fixing the ogre with an impassive look.

"Hiei?" Botan asked, ponytail whipping around as she turned to find him. Unlike the others, who had suddenly gone pale and stiff, she smiled brightly and waved him over.

"W-what are you doing, Botan? Don't you know who that is?" one of the women whispered behind a trembling hand.

"It's alright, you don't have to be afraid," Botan soothed, standing up and turning to the others. "He's not going to hurt anybody."

"But isn't he the same demon who broke in and slaughtered a bunch of our kind?" an ogre reminded her.

"He is!" another peon shrieked. "And he probably came back to finish what he started!"

Botan's expression fell while Hiei remained indifferent to the entire scene. He was well aware of his past actions and he had no intentions of justifying them or apologizing for them. He didn't care about what a bunch of weaklings thought of him, but when a red ogre leaned towards Botan and uttered his next statement, Hiei found himself losing what little patience he had left.

"You should leave, too, Botan," the ogre warned. "There's no telling what a demon like him will do to a defenseless girl like you."

"That isn't a very nice thing to say!" she began to admonish.

"The ogre is right," Hiei interrupted with a sinister smirk twisting his lips. "It's been a long and stressful day and there's no telling what I'll do. Harming a helpless ferry-girl brings me no satisfaction, but spilling a few pints of ogre blood might just be the therapeutic remedy I need."

"Hiei!" Botan berated in exasperation.

The fire-demon said nothing as he watched the citizens of spirit world scramble to pick up their belongings and make a hasty getaway. They all scattered off in different directions, despite the woman's attempts to calm them down and make them stay. She soon gave up her futile efforts of calming the others and, soon enough, he and the ferry-girl were the only figures remaining on the roof.

"Was that really necessary?" she asked.

"It's not my fault if your fellow spirits are spineless cowards," he argued.

"Maybe they wouldn't be afraid if you showed them that you're no longer the same merciless criminal you were when we first met!"

"That is all I am and it would do you well to remember that," he growled out, taking a step towards her.

"That's not true!" she replied, standing her ground.

"What would you know?" he snarled.

"A lot more than you or anyone else gives me credit for, apparently!" she exclaimed.

They stood at a standstill for a few tense moments, faces inches apart and eyes narrowed at each other, before Botan turned away from him. He crossed his arms over his chest angrily and scowled. There she went again, defending him and presuming to know him. He had hoped that he would come here and find reasons to detest her, reasons to detach her from his mind, but she continued to accept him. She continued to make him feel as though he could belong.

He glanced over at her and something loosened in his chest as the coils of anger unraveled from his expression. Her mouth was drawn in a tight line, shoulders stiff and arms folded under her chest. She had turned away from him so that her body was angled towards the left and turned her nose up in the air for good measure. He felt none of the satisfaction he expected to experience upon wiping that damn near immovable smile off of her face and instead he only felt confused.

"I just don't understand why you have to be so mean," Botan said finally, lifting her gaze up to meet his searchingly.

He would have scoffed, if the air didn't get caught in his throat. He was blunt, uncaring, temperamental and rash; he always had been. He wouldn't change or live up to her standards just because she was deluded into thinking that he was someone he was not.

"And I know what you're thinking," she stated, the ire fading from her expression as the darkness of night began to wash over them. "You think that it's just the way that you are, but it isn't. Not always…"

"When am I ever not-"

"When you're with Yukina, for starters," she interrupted, listing out each instance on her fingers. "When you showed Bui mercy in the finals, when you didn't kill me for crossing the line with you…" She paused to meet his eyes again. "And when you stand there and try to understand me and the things I say or do."

Hiei's expression fell, not at all expecting those words to come out of her mouth.

"When I try to understand you, it isn't because I'm being kind or considerate," he explained. "I do it because you confuse me, woman."

"I do?"

"You're loud, over-emotional and exasperating, but there are moments when you aren't."

"What do you mean?" she asked softly.

"When you aren't opening that loudmouth of yours, it's easy to forget about all of the things that make you annoying," he clarified.

"Why, Hiei, that almost sounded like a compliment!" she gasped in mock wonder.

"Hn. It was a thinly veiled insult."

"I don't know... I think your niceness must be showing again," she taunted with an impish grin.

"This is exactly what I mean, woman. Much like right now, you're an infuriating menace and it's only very rarely that you aren't."

"I simply like to think I'm well-rounded, is all!" she replied doggedly.

"You're a nuisance."

"And you're being a big meanie right now. Can't nice Hiei come out and play instead?"

"Only if mute Botan makes an appearance."

She began to laugh and, if he was being honest with himself, he was becoming amused by their immature exchange as well. Despite the confusion and turmoil that had been raging on in his mind, his chest felt lighter somehow, like a weight had been lifted.

Botan turned to him with bright eyes and a warm smile.

"If it's any consolation, Hiei, you confuse me, too."

He arched a dark brow.

"I thought you claimed to know me."

"I know that you're a good person, but there's still so much that I don't know," she explained. "You can be so unpredictable at times that it's hard to wrap my mind around the mere thought of you."

He paused to consider the irony of their current predicament. A fire-demon who was shunned by his own people and cast out from his village and an eccentric ferry-girl who was a contradiction to the morals of her own world, attempting to understand each other despite their vast differences and the centuries of prejudices built up against them. By all logic and rationale, they were never meant to understand each other, but they both were stubborn enough and determined enough to try anyway.

The corner of his mouth tilted upwards as he took a seat and looked out into the distance.

"Hn, I suppose we're even, then," he decided.

Botan's expression softened and she nodded as she followed suit.

"Yes, I suppose we are…" she agreed.

He didn't know how long he stayed up there, watching the night pass by with the ferry-girl at his side, but for the first time in a long time, he felt completely at ease and at peace with himself.

* * *

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, I know I had fun writing it!

Next time: the team heads out on a mission and a certain blue-haired ferry-girl joins in on the action.


	14. Chapter 14

Hi guys! Make sure you've read Chapters 12 and 13 before moving on to this one. The alerts never went out for those. :) Thanks!

* * *

Hiei was not expecting to see the ferry-girl join them on their latest mission. Whether the Prince decided it of his own volition or the woman pestered him into allowing her to participate, the fact remained: she was here and Hiei had a duty to protect her now that they were courting. She had ditched her pink kimono in lieu of a pair of tight pants and a jacket ensemble and carried a silver briefcase with her as she trailed behind them.

The mission was pitifully simple: find the seals, dismantle them and prevent whatever malevolent force it contained from entering this world. He did not particularly care about the safety of the human world, but he could do with a good fight.

"We will cover more ground if we split up," Kurama advised. "I will head east and dismantle the first seal there."

"I'll go west," Kuwabara volunteered.

"Then I'll head to the north site with Botan," Yusuke decided.

"No," Hiei interrupted evenly, causing all eyes to turn towards him. "The ferry-girl will go south with me."

Botan, who had halted in her trek towards Yusuke, could only stare back at in him surprise. The others had similar mixed reactions to his decision, but Hiei was unconcerned with their responses to his sudden and uncharacteristic declaration. He met the ferry-girl's gaze evenly, gaging the surprise and confusion swirling in her amethyst eyes.

"I think I speak for all of us when I say: what the hell?" Yusuke asked.

"She goes with me," Hiei maintained with an air of finality.

"He probably wants to makeout with her some more," Kuwabara snickered quietly behind his hand, causing Yusuke to snort.

"I can hear you, you fool," Hiei gritted, raising a hand to clench the hilt of his sword. "I'm low on patience and if you continue with your puerile and immature remarks then your flesh will be the first thing my blade pierces today."

"I'd like to see you try it, shorty!" Kuwabara challenged, fists balled angrily at his sides.

"Boys, please, this is no time for squabbling!" Botan cut in, hands raised as she stepped between them.

"She's right," Kurama supported. "The enemy may already be one step ahead of us. We should not squander the little time we do have on petty fights."

Kuwabara huffed and turned away from Hiei compliantly while the fire-demon looked away with a scowl.

"Here," Botan said as she handed Kurama and Kuwabara a communication mirror. "Yusuke should already have his and I've got the last one with me. We can use these to contact each other if something goes wrong."

"You hear that, Princess Kazuma?" Yusuke taunted with a cheeky grin. "Let us know if you need us to swoop in and save you."

"Shut up, Urameshi!"

Kurama turned to face Hiei, ignoring Yusuke and Kuwabara as they traded insults in the background. Botan's voice could be heard as well, having somehow gotten roped into the fray.

"Be on your guard and do not simply rush in head first," Kurama instructed imperatively. "You can't afford to do things impulsively – not when you have someone else depending on you."

Hiei glanced over at the ferry-girl, who was brandishing her oar menacingly at the detective and the oaf, before snapping his gaze back to meet Kurama's evenly.

"I know," he said lowly.

"Good. We should meet up here once we have finished with our respective sites."

Hiei nodded wordlessly in agreement and Kurama went off ahead, leaving him to deal with the squabbling trio. It was almost amusing to see the way the oaf and the detective shrunk away from her and he bit back a smirk.

"Woman, let's go," he interrupted.

Botan stopped arguing almost immediately, the ire fading from her expression as quickly as it had appeared. He wasn't surprised; she wasn't the type to hold onto any unpleasant feelings.

"Right, let's be on our way."

She banished her oar and followed after him, leaving Yusuke and Kuwabara to head out to their separate destinations as well. He reminded himself to taper his speed now that he was saddled with the ferry-girl at his side, taking slower, leisurely strides as he proceeded forward. Their journey was a short and silent one, but the woman kept peering over at him with wide, curious eyes every so often. It was clear that she wanted to say something, but had continually lost her nerve at the last second. He was beginning to grow tired with it, so he halted in his tracks and fixed her with an impatient look.

Botan stopped walking as well, tilting her head slightly as she regarded him.

"Is something the matter, Hiei?"

"I should be the one asking that question, woman."

"Huh?"

"You keep looking over here as though you intend to say something."

"You noticed?" she asked sheepishly.

"You're hardly subtle."

"Oh poo," she lamented. "Now I'm embarrassed."

"And I'm running out of patience. Tell me what's distracting you so we can get on with the mission."

"Oh fine… I was just wondering why you wanted to be partnered with me of all people," she revealed with a huff. "You told me before that I was hindrance to the team and that I would surely cause us to fail if I joined in on any missions. I just found it strange that you'd want to team up all of a sudden."

"It's part of courting," he explained. "I have to ensure your safety and I can only do that if you're nearby."

"Oh, I see," she said with an accepting nod. "That makes sense."

They continued walking down the dirt path and Hiei glanced at her from the corner of his eye. The ferry-girl believed his words easily and without any suspicion, but the real truth weighed heavy on his heart. Aside from his duty to her under the customs of courting, he wanted her by his side because he did not want any danger or harm to befall her. The mere thought of it was enough to leave an unsettled feeling in the pit of his stomach, similar to the uneasy tightness that burned in his chest whenever Yukina was in danger. He wasn't sure when he had begun to regard her in this way, but there was little he could do about it now. And, if he was being honest with himself, there was little he wanted to do about it.

The ferry-girl certainly wasn't as mindless or insignificant as he originally thought her to be.

She wasn't half bad at all.

* * *

Botan was crouched on the ground, dismantling the south seal in the belly of a dark and dank cave as Hiei fought with the enemy in the background. He had just saved her, intercepting a blow that was meant to end her life and she was trying her best to concentrate on the matter at hand, but her emotions were riding on a figurative whirlwind. Hiei had never shown much interest in or care for her, but the protective way he had shielded her in that moment, the anger darkening his crimson irises and the intensity of the black flames swirling around him made it almost seem as though he did.

The ground shook beneath her as the clanking of metal clashing against metal met her ears, instantly bringing her back to her senses. Her fingers worked swiftly as she continued her task of disabling the seal. It was a very tricky procedure and she did not want to accidentally activate it, thereby releasing the malevolent soul that was contained within.

She heard Hiei grunt and hastened her movements. He couldn't use his full strength, not while there was a chance that she could get caught up in the crossfire. It only took a matter of seconds to finish destroying the seal and by the time she turned around to view Hiei, he was employing the finishing move of a deadly combo.

She picked up her briefcase and rose to her feet, before looking around at her surroundings. The seal vanished into thin air, the enemy was reduced to nothing but a pile of ashes on the rocky ground and the malignant energy that was once emitting from the cave was fading quickly. It was another job well done, but she shuddered to think of what might have become of her if Hiei hadn't interceded the enemy's attack in the nick of time. She was no stranger to being saved - Yusuke had helped her on multiple occasions - but the gratitude that followed never burned as brightly as it did right now with Hiei.

"Thank you for saving me," she said, voice cutting into the silence that had enveloped them. "I would have been done for if you didn't step in when you did."

An unidentifiable flicker of emotion crossed over his face, but it flashed by so quickly that Botan couldn't make sense of it. He recovered soon after, his indifferent mask covering his features once more and tempering his expression.

"I told you that I can't let anything happen to you while we're in this arrangement," he replied as he sheathed his sword. "There is no need to thank me."

In the past his response would have deterred her and she would have taken his words as truth, but things were different now. The past few days had given her a glimpse at the man behind the stoic mask and she liked what she saw. That's why she was completely sure that his actions today were spurred on by more than just his duty to her under the complex rules of demon courting. He didn't need to say it aloud when she felt the truth residing in her heart.

"We should return to the rendezvous point," he suggested.

"Right," she nodded, moving to join him. "But before we do that, you should really let me heal you."

"What?"

"You shouldn't leave your wounds unattended like that," she continued, a worried frown tugging at her lips.

The fire-demon glanced down at the gash on his torso, before looking back up at her.

"This is nothing," he said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"It doesn't look like nothing to me."

"I'll be fine," he maintained.

"Of course you will be," she agreed with a determined nod. "You'll be good as new with the help of my white magic."

His brown furrowed as he stared back at her warningly.

"Don't be foolish."

"If you can't let me get hurt, then I have to do what I can to help you, too," she insisted, her grip tightening on the handle of the briefcase as she frowned at him.

"You're forgetting one crucial thing, woman: you aren't a demon and you aren't obliged to abide by our customs," he countered.

"Well, I'm being courted by a man who just got injured for me. It would hurt my pride if I couldn't help," she returned resolutely.

Hiei's gaze bore into her own, a softer quality rounding his eyes. It did strange things to her heart, but she couldn't afford to dwell on it. This was the one thing she could do for him and she had no intentions of backing down until he was healed. Hiei must have realized this, because the fight drained out of him and he uncrossed his arms with a grunt, letting them fall to his sides.

"Do what you must," he relented, a new understanding passing between them.

Botan's expression brightened considerably.

"Glad we could see eye to eye," she said as she motioned for him to take a seat.

He followed obediently, setting his sword beside him before moving into a cross-legged position. Botan discarded her briefcase and joined him on the ground, sitting on folded legs and leaning forward slightly. She then went about lifting the bottom of his blue shirt up carefully, just enough to expose his injury. It wasn't a fatal wound, but she was sure that it was quite painful, so she decided not to waste any more time. Bringing her hand to hover a few inches away, she began to concentrate on drawing out her energy. White wisps of light shot out from her fingertips and began to weave around his injury. Hiei tensed up at first, entire body stiff as though he has taken a hit, but after the initial surprise of her foreign energy began to wear off, he started to relax and give in to the soothing sensations of her white magic. His wound was quickly reduced to nothing but a thin line that would soon fade after a night of rest and Botan smiled.

"There now, that wasn't so hard was it?" she teased.

Botan lifted her eyes up to meet his, only to find that he was still staring at her in that peculiar and unreadable way. It made her heart flutter wildly and she was forced to look away. She reached for her briefcase with the intent of collecting it and putting some distance between the two of them, when Hiei grabbed a hold of her wrist. He turned her hand over so that her palm was facing upwards and when his fingers ghosted over the exposed skin of her wrist and palms, her breath hitched in her throat.

"Hiei?" she began unsurely, the darkness in the cave making his expression as indeterminable as ever.

"You should have healed yourself first," he berated lightly.

She followed his gaze and finally took notice of the shallow cut on her palm.

"Oh my, I didn't even notice it."

He released her wordlessly and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You should tend to yourself," he ordered.

"A-alright," she said, bringing her hand over her minor injury. She could feel Hiei's eyes on her the entire time and the intensity of his gaze hindered her ability to do much of anything at the moment.

"Why isn't it working?" he asked, his voice cutting into the thick silence.

"It's just that I..."

"What?"

"I can't concentrate when you look at me like that."

"Look at you like what, woman?"

 _As if you cared,_ she thought to herself wistfully.

Hiei raised a questioning brow, still waiting for an explanation and Botan snapped out of it.

"It's just a simple case of performance anxiety!" she blurted out. "Yes, that's what it is... so, would you be a dear and please look the other way for a moment?"

Hiei scoffed, but did as he was told and turned towards the left. She spared another glance at his profile, before placing a hand over her racing heart and fixing her eyes elsewhere.

Perhaps Ayame was right all along; maybe she really was getting a bit too attached to the fire-demon.

There was simply no other reason for the slight ache residing in her chest.

* * *

As always, I thank you all for the reviews / faves / alerts. I'm very glad that you all seemed to enjoy this silly little idea that sprang out of control.

That being said, this story will be wrapping up within the next two chapters. Hope you're all looking forward to its conclusion!


	15. Chapter 15

_Happy Belated Birthday to the wonderful Anouk Chizatz. Thanks for everything!_

* * *

Hiei stood at the edge of Genkai's temple, arms crossed over his chest and a frown furrowing his brow. While the rest of the group was clowning around on the veranda near the koi pond, Hiei sent a telepathic message to Kurama with instructions to convene where the old woman's property met the outskirts of the forest.

"Is everything alright?" Kurama asked in concern.

Hiei's frown deepened. Hiei did not know if it was the air in the human world, polluting his mind and his nature or if it was a direct result of the company he kept, but he loathed to admit that this world had tainted him. He had previously thought he was immune to the softhearted and sentimental ways that the others had adopted as a result of being in the human world, but the mission yesterday showed him exactly how wrong he was.

Kurama had once been even more brutal and unforgiving than Hiei himself, but over time, the legendary bandit's disposition dissolved into that of the merciful, tolerant and soft human that stood before him today. He must have faced the same internal struggle that Hiei was experiencing now – and that was why he was the only one that the fire-demon was willing to trust in this moment.

The wind suddenly kicked in, rustling the leaves of the trees behind them and pulling Hiei back to the present. He had yet to say a word and Kurama remained patient as ever as he waited for Hiei to answer. He steeled himself and lifted his gaze to meet Kurama's determinedly.

"Something strange happened back in the cave," Hiei began.

Kurama's expression did not change, but the interest in his emerald eyes was apparent.

"I'm listening."

"I found myself concerned over the ferry-girl's well-being," Hiei confessed. "I was burdened by the thought of any danger befalling her and I was determined to ensure that that wouldn't happen."

"Believe or not, Hiei, that is perfectly normal," Kurama quipped.

"Not for me it isn't," he answered tightly.

"Perhaps not, given your upbringing, but it certainly isn't wrong," the redhead pointed out. "Botan is a kind woman, a caring friend and a devout ally. She has been in our corner for quite some time now, so it isn't strange that you have come to appreciate and value her accordingly."

Hiei glanced over at the ferry-girl as he contemplated the validity of Kurama's words. He wanted nothing more than to write these newfound sentiments off as a mere case of misguided camaraderie or friendship, but he knew that it wasn't that simple. Whatever had overtaken him ran far deeper than mere duty or obligation ever could and it affected him in more ways than he was willing to admit. She was a source of frustration, vexation and confusion wrapped up in a pink kimono and a bright smile, and despite their opposing natures, he still wanted to know her more.

He thought back to how quickly things had changed. Up until a few weeks ago, he never bothered to spare her so much as a second glance and now she was at the edge of nearly every thought. The time had had spent with her was far different than he thought it would be and instead of being revolted by her ideals and her brand of personality, he found himself drawn to her light and her kindness.

As he watched her grinning brightly, he could only wonder how she had slipped under his radar for so long and why it had taken him so long to notice her.

"Hiei."

He tore his gaze away from the blue-haired woman and returned his attention back towards Kurama. The fox was wearing that knowing expression that Hiei hated and he mentally berated himself for staring at the woman so blatantly and obviously.

"What?" he growled out defensively.

"Are you ready to dive into the heart of the matter or shall we continue skirting around the issue?" Kurama questioned.

The fire-demon visibly tensed as he averted his gaze, mouth pressed into a firm and stubborn line.

"There is nothing to be ashamed of," the redhead reassured calmly. "In fact, the feelings you are experiencing towards Botan are completely natural and normal."

Hiei swallowed thickly, suppressing the deflection that was on the tip of his tongue. He should have known that Kurama had already figured it out. It would have been strange if he hadn't. But knowing the truth and having in confirmed out loud were two very separate things. Hiei almost wanted to turn around and leave the compound entirely – but he never wavered in the face of any challenge and he resolved that this time would be no different. He had tried everything he could think of when it came to the ferry-girl and nothing had worked. The only thing left to do was to seek counsel from the only person whose advice he trusted. He squared his shoulders and steeled himself. The fox always liked to pretend that he knew everything and it was time for him to put his supposed knowledge and wisdom to good use.

"Tell me what to do, Kurama," he ordered tightly. "Tell me how to stop this from progressing any further."

Kurama shook his head regretfully.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, considering I was unable to do the same all those years ago," he began. "I opened myself up to sentiments I once thought of as weak and foolish all for the sake of caring for my human mother. It's a decision that I have never once regretted and I would gladly do it all over again, if given the chance. I can't determine which course of action will be most beneficial for you, but I can tell you that my life has been better for it. Contrary to what we were raised to believe, such bonds and sentiments can be very powerful and fulfilling in the end."

Hiei frowned.

"It's been nothing but frustrating and bewildering for me," Hiei stated honestly, his tone a mixture of bitterness and confusion. "I don't see how any good can come out of this."

Kurama chuckled lightly.

"They do say that love is complicated."

"I'm not in love with her," Hiei denied firmly.

"No, but you could be. And that scares a small part of you."

"I fear nothing," he replied, hackles raised defensively.

"Only a fool fears nothing. And you, my friend, are no fool."

Hiei looked off to the side angrily, inadvertently catching Botan's gaze in the process. She had been laughing about something or the other with the rest of the group, but her expression dropped into one of surprise once she took notice of him. She regarded him with a soft smile and small wave that went undetected by everyone else and, just like that, his irritation began to taper off and melt away. The tension in his shoulders dissipated and the weight in his chest was lifted, the only thing remaining being that sense of peace and calm he had come to associate with her.

"You have an important decision to make," Kurama said. "This is a critical juncture; you should take your time and think things through carefully."

Hiei watched as Kurama turned away and walked back towards the direction of the temple. Normally, the fox would continue to meddle and interfere with subtle manipulation and tricky words, so the fact that he had taken a more hands-off approach this time left Hiei feeling oddly unsettled.

He unhooked his sword from his belt and took up a cross-legged position on the ground. Kurama said that he should consider his next moves carefully, so he decided to do just that. It wasn't like he had any other options left anyway.

* * *

Botan was wholly surprised to see that Hiei had joined them that evening. He usually opted out of these sorts of gatherings or left before anyone even had the chance to realize that he was there – but tonight he remained rooted to his spot on the outskirts of Genkai's property. He was seated against the trunk of a large tree, legs crossed and arms folded across his chest. Although his eyes were closed, the slight crinkle to his brow alerted her to the fact that he was still awake. He seemed to be contemplating something for quite some time and she wondered if she should interrupt him or not. Eventually, curiosity won out and she decided to approach the fire-demon.

"Hey you," she greeted cheerfully.

Crimson eyes opened and flicked up to meet her gaze.

"Botan," he acknowledged lowly.

The ferry-girl froze, completely and utterly thrown by the fact that he had called her by her name. Usually she was referred to by her gender or her title, but something about the sound of her name on his lips caused her heart to flip and flutter. Shaking her head, she dispelled the embarrassing thought from her mind and took a seat beside him on the ground.

"You looked a little troubled sitting here all by yourself… is everything okay?" she asked carefully.

"You know that I prefer the solitude," he replied.

"Oh," she said, her expression falling. Although she had been so eager to spend some time with him, she certainly didn't want to be a bother if he wasn't in the mood for company. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize-"

"You don't have to apologize."

"Huh?"

"I'm saying that you can stay," he clarified.

Her lips parted as she managed to stammer out a response.

"R-really?"

"Yes," he answered evenly, his gaze fixed ahead at some point in the distance. "Though I can't understand why you would chose to seek me out. You and I both know that you would be better suited over there with others rather than here in the dark with me."

Botan looked over towards the rest of the team and her expression softened. While she enjoyed the excitement that came with a larger group, she had also learned to appreciate the rare moments she was afforded with Hiei. They probably wouldn't have much reason to hang around each other once their courtship was over and the thought was oddly sobering.

"Well, I thought it would be nice if we could squeeze in some time together before our courtship ended."

"…I see," he said after a few moments of pause. "If that's what you want, then you should stay."

"Alright," she agreed with a smile, before making herself more comfortable. "I will."

Hiei seemed to relax as well, the tightness in his features and in his posture fading away as he leaned back against the tree trunk once more.

An easy silence enveloped them and she closed her eyes with a sigh, taking in the fresh air and the distinct scent of Hiei beside her. Her heart was no longer racing wildly, but the familiar warmth that spread through her chest was enough to confirm what she had realized during yesterday's mission: she was falling hard and fast for the fire-demon and there was little she could do to stop it.

The past week had flown by so quickly that it felt like a dream. She never would have expected that she'd become so attached to Hiei in such a short span of time, but here she was, completely and utterly drawn to him.

She liked the color of his eyes and the darkness of his hair. She liked the feeling of his hand against hers, the sound of his voice and the intensity of his crimson-eyed gaze.

She liked the way he listened to her, rather than tuning her out like Yusuke often had or dismissing her like Koenma had the tendency to do. She liked that he attempted to understand her, even though it frustrated him to no end. She liked that he lived by the rules of his own complicated honor-code and didn't care about what anyone else thought of him.

She simply liked _him_.

Botan glimpsed over at the fire-demon, biting back a smile as that pesky urge to kiss him had once again resurfaced. Her motives no longer stemmed from the immature and shallow reasons as before. This time, she wanted to kiss him because she had actually felt something real and true for the man seated beside her.

But she knew that it wouldn't be fair to him.

Hiei was courting her for the sole sake of getting rid of her and if she followed through with such dangerous thoughts, she would surely end up causing him more trouble than he deserved. He didn't care about her in the same way that she was starting to care for him – that much was clear – but the longer they sat together under the cover of the night, the more she began to wish that he did.

* * *

The next chapter will be the final one. Thank you all for your sweet and kind comments. You guys are the best!


	16. Chapter 16

Hiei had been watching the ferry-girl closely over the course of the past week. She was still a combination of all of the things that he was naturally averse to: optimistic, cheery and idealistic.

She shined too brightly, cared too deeply and displayed her emotions far too openly for his liking.

She still confused him beyond all belief, lying right outside of the realms of his understanding.

And despite all of that, he still wanted to know her more.

She wasn't simply the messenger ferry-girl who talked too much and smiled too often; she was something else entirely.

She was clever, often tricking Koenma into seeing things her way or coaxing Yusuke into a mission that he did not want to participate in. She was playful and devious, always teasing somebody about something with that ridiculous cat face she loved to wear. She was hard-working and diligent, always on the move and up to something, whether it be ferrying souls, seeing to administrative tasks or assisting the team with missions.

She was loyal. Hiei was well aware of all of the times and ways she had stood up for him when the oaf had taken to insulting him in front of Yukina. She defended Kuwabara whenever he had taken to insulting the lumbering fool. And she supported Koenma when others in the spirit world doubted his eligibility. She did it without any hopes of recognition or gratitude and it often went unnoticed by the others, but not by him.

While she was not physically strong by his standards, she held an emotional depth and strength that impressed him. And even if she did not possess the raw power that he or the others did, she was perfectly capable of protecting herself and was not shy about doing so during missions and the like.

She was a far cry from the type of woman that he expected her to be, but he had learned time and time again that life was strange and unpredictable. This past week was supposed to strip him away from those strange feelings, but it only served to solidify them. Every conversation, every concerned-filled look and every smile that she had given him struck deep within and stayed with him. He still didn't completely understand the concept of love, but he was willing to learn. And the only way he could do that is if he stayed with her.

He stood on her balcony, watching her curiously. She was seated at the edge of her bed, staring down at the silly little weed he had given her. It was dried and shriveled up, but the thing that concerned him the most was the sad look on her face. He wasn't used to seeing her looking like that. She must have felt his eyes on her or sensed his presence, because her gaze snapped up to meet his in surprise and she quickly hid the weed behind her.

"Hiei?" she began nervously.

"Stay right there," he told her, steeling himself for what he was about to do.

She was in the midst of standing up, but upon hearing his words and the urgency in his tone, she sat back down and gave him a bewildered frown. He approached her slowly, his gait even and sure. There was no doubt or indecision in his heart now that he knew what he wanted. It was simply time to act. He stood right in front of her, taking in the natural sweet fragrance that she carried with her and the brightness in her eyes. Her breath hitched his fingers made contact with her chin, but she allowed him to tilt her head upwards, angling her mouth until it was mere inches from his. He moved painfully slow, giving her the time to react and respond accordingly if she did not want him, but when she moved to meet him halfway, he knew that he wasn't in this alone. The moment his lips brushed against hers, a rush of warmth spread outwards from his chest to the tips of his fingertips and toes. He kissed her slowly and gently - his mind flashed back to the first time she had kissed him in the forest, the electricity of that moment coming through full force in this one.

Hiei pulled away reluctantly, gaging her reaction and committing the sight of her to memory. Amethyst eyes were wide in surprise, her pupils dilated in a daze and her cheeks flushed with color. Snapping out of her haze, thick lashes fluttered quickly underneath twisted blue brows as her expression took on more of a distressed and troubled look.

"Why... Why would you do that?" she asked breathlessly. "I had been convincing myself all night that I had to let you go and then you go and kiss me. And confuse me. And make me want you all over again. It's just not-"

He kissed her again – more urgently and fervently, the way he did at Genkai's temple. Much like that time, a need ignited within like an inextinguishable fire and want seared through his entire being. He applied more pressure, kissing her thoroughly and relentlessly, leaving no room for her to question his motives this time. And she seemed to understand it all when he pulled away and looked at her again. This time, she broke into a smile, draping her arms around his neck and beckoning him back to her.

Suffice it to say, he was more than willing to comply as he brought his lips down and kissed her a third time. The familiarity of his actions and the willingness in hers spurred him on and prompted him to prolong the moment for as long as he could. He dragged his lips over hers teasingly, enjoying the way she chased after his lips with hers. When she pulled him closer and let out a contented sigh, he knew that she wanted him just as badly as he did with her.

But actions weren't enough. He needed to make it clear to her. He wanted to do this right.

So he pulled away for the third time, lips tingling and his chest heavy with an emotion that he did not previously think himself capable of harboring.

"Now we're even," he told her lowly.

"Even?" she repeated, dazedly.

"Now we can continue on equal ground," he explained. "And with the right intentions."

She searched his gaze meaningfully, the realization slowly dawning on her and lighting up her eyes.

"You really want to…with someone like me…?"

Hiei nodded, expression unchanging.

"Against my better judgment, I do," he confessed. "But only if it's with you."

She smiled softly.

"Me too."

* * *

Yusuke watched the two with a smirk from the comfort and privacy of Koenma's spacious office.

"Told you everything would be fine," he ribbed, nudging Kuwabara with his elbow.

"You didn't know anything! They found their way to each other on their own – it had nothing to do with you," Kuwabara countered.

"I think you're just upset 'cause your little love instincts failed you."

"You don't know what you're talking about, Urameshi," Kuwabara grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest stubbornly.

"Who knows, maybe I'm the real Warrior of Love," Yusuke continued, puffing his chest out smugly. "After all, it was me who got them together."

"I would advise against indulging in this type of talk in front of them. I doubt they will see things in the same self-glorifying manner that you do," Kurama cautioned.

"That'd be pretty ungrateful of them, considering I'm the one who gave her the idea to kiss him in the first place."

"And you seem to be conveniently forgetting that you almost got her killed in the process," Kurama reminded him calmly.

"Psh… Hiei talks a big game, but he wouldn't have actually gone through with it," Yusuke dismissed with a wave of his hand. His proud stance fell a bit as he looked between the two. "...Right?"

The room was drenched in silence and Yusuke paled. Kuwabara looked genuinely doubtful on the question of Hiei's morals - which was to be expected - while Kurama remained as unreadable as always. Yusuke was seventy-five percent positive that Kurama was only screwing around with him, but he could never be too sure. He cleared his throat and looked around the room.

"Anyway, all's well that ends well!" he finished. "Now let's get outta dodge before pacifier breath gets back."

"It's a little too late for that, Yusuke," a familiar, high-pitched voice said.

Yusuke turned to see the prince standing in the threshold of the door, an unimpressed look on his face as he entered.

"Mind telling me what you three are doing in my office?" Koenma asked warily. "I don't remember calling a team meeting."

"Uh, we were just…" Kuwabara panicked, fumbling for the remote and catching the prince's attention.

Large, rounded eyes trailed towards the large screen, before squinting suspiciously and then widening in shock.

"I-is that who I think it is?" he exclaimed out, pointing a shaky finger at the image of Botan and Hiei on his screen.

"Sure is," Yusuke confirmed with a wolfish grin.

"But how did they…?" Koenma asked, looking between the rest of the group in complete horror and surprise. "When did they…?"

"Well," Yusuke began, sharing a knowing look with Kuwabara and Kurama. "It started with a kiss..."

* * *

Botan certainly did not expect that Hiei would come here and suggest that they continue courting, but she wasn't complaining. Especially not when he was doing such a good job of showing her exactly how much he liked her.

It was almost unfathomable how quickly things had changed. Moments earlier, she was lamenting her inevitable separation from the fire-demon and the subsequent heartache it would bring and now, she was officially bound to him by the rules of their courtship. It almost felt too good to be true, but when she felt his hands settle on her waist, strong and sure, she knew that this wasn't a dream. Hiei really did feel the same way that she did and he was willing to give them a try.

"Hiei," Botan said, breaking apart from him with a curious look in her eyes. He appeared to be slightly vexed by the interruption and she had to bite back a grin. She had no idea that Hiei would come to enjoy any sort of affectionate gesture so much, let alone something as sweet as kissing.

"What is it?" he asked impatiently.

"If we're going to be courting properly, does that mean you'll really be participating this time?"

"I thought I was participating right now," he said, his voice slightly rough with lust as his eyes trailed towards her rosy lips.

"No, I meant, would you possibly be willing to partake in some of the more romantic things?" she tried. "Like…actual dating and thoughtful gifts and pretty flowers?"

"Woman, if we can keep doing this, I'll give you anything you want," he promised.

Botan giggled.

"How romantic," she teased, her fingers sifting through his dark locks languidly.

Hiei's lips slanted upwards, crimson eyes softening in a rare moment of unguarded ease and she felt herself falling for him even further.

"I'm really glad that you decided to give it a go," she admitted.

He nodded in return, no words needed to convey the truth that was in his eyes.

"Do you think any of this would have happened without Yusuke's meddling?" she mused.

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "But I suppose it doesn't matter now."

She hummed in agreement.

It really didn't matter how they had found their way to each other, she was just happy that they eventually did.

* * *

The end~

Thanks everyone! I had such fun writing this up and I hope it brought you all some laughter and entertainment, too.

See you all in the next fic!


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